Persona Hearts
by Existential Complaining
Summary: If you look into a mirror at midnight when it's raining, you see your true love. At least, that's what Sora Narukami heard when he moved to Destiny Islands. Does this rumor have to do with a corspe found on a paopu tree? Based off Persona 4. [Contains AU and OOC]
1. Welcome to the Destiny Islands

**Ch. 1- Welcome to the Destiny Islands**

**Time of Day: ?  
Weather: Foggy  
Place: ?**

My eyes bolt open, and I'm welcome to a mysterious looking room. Everything was colored in a shade of blue, even the seat I was sitting on. On the left side of the room, there are shelves stocked with expensive looking bottles of liquor, and on the left a blue couch.

Yeah, this definitely isn't the train I was on.

As my vision becomes less blurrier, the room seems to be a limo. There are small lights lined up side by side on both sides of the ceiling. What really catches my attention though, are the two mysterious people inside the limo with me.

One is a mature, yet elegantly beautiful woman. She has platinum hair, a blue dress on that covers her arms, and a matching blue headband. Her eyes are closed, and in her hands is a thick leather bound book with gold designs on it.

The other is an odd looking old man. He's balding, but still has wild snow white hair on the sides of his head. He's wearing a black suit with white gloves, and is hunched over in a seat behind a small round table. But what really catches my attention, is his extremely long nose! It's like a victorian mask, except it looks like it's real.

"Sora Narukami…" The old man opens his eyes, revealing his bulging, bloodshot eyes. "Welcome to the Velvet Room. Ah, it would seem you have a most unusual destiny." He gives a dry chuckle. "My name is Igor. I am pleased to meet your acquaintance."

"I shall accompany you on your travels." The mysterious woman turns to me, revealing her stern golden eyes. "I am called Margaret."

"This is the realm found between dream and reality, mind and matter." Igor waves his hand over the table in front of him, making a small stack of cards appear.

The cards are a shade of blue, like the rest of this room. They have intricate designs of them with hearts in each corner, and and a mask in the middle. Unlike regular cards though, one short side is shaped like a three pointed crown, similar to the necklace my dad gave me as a going away present.

"Generally only those who have forged a contract can visit this room," Igor continues. The cards spread across the table, forming a hexagon with one card in the middle. He flips over the card in the middle, revealing a card with a 0 in the bottom right corner on it. "Perhaps such a fate is awaiting you in the near future."

Margaret waves her hand over the table, and each card fades away in an azure light. "I wish you the best until our paths cross once more."

I open my mouth to ask a question, but nothing comes out. Slowly, vision becomes blurrier and I start to become drowsy.

My eyelids close of their own will.

* * *

**April 5, 2015**

My eyes open, and I'm back on the train I boarded. What was with that place? Blinding sunlight stings my eyes, and I slowly shift my body to avoid the sun.

I stand up and and stretch my stiff body. I seem to be the only one one the train car right now. I stare out the window, and past the trees by the track is a large expansive ocean. The grass is green, and small hills are scattered across the landscape. You'd never get a view like this back at Traverse Town. The sun was also never this annoyingly bright.

"It's so… Quiet." I whisper to myself. You don't hear the horns of cars, or people yelling for taxis. All I hear is the train moving along the rails.

A _ding_ sound goes off, and resonated in the train car. "_We'll reach our final stop, Destiny Islands Station, momentarily. Please be careful as to not forget your belongings."_

I grab my backpack and duffle bags from the overhead shelves, and the the train starts to slow down.

* * *

**Time of Day: Afternoon  
Weather: Sunny  
Place: Destiny Islands Train Station**

As I get off the train, I walk by a sign that reads_ Destiny Islands_. There are other words printed on the sign, but they're blocked by graffiti that reads, _"Welcome to the boonies, city-trash"_ with a frown face.

Wow, what a warm welcome.

The buildings around the station are all small. They don't hold a candle to the large buildings back in the city. It's almost like there's nothing here.

"Hey, you're here already?"

I look to my left, and a man with spiky black hair is waving at me. He's wearing a dark gray shirt with pulled up sleeves, a loose, light blue necktie and a pair of black dress pants. "You know, you're much taller than you look in that picture your mom sent me. Geez, you've gotten big since the last time I saw you." The man grins.

"Uhh, thanks?" I awkwardly reply. "Who are you again?"

"Wow, that's harsh. Don't you remember me? I'm your mom's younger brother Zack Dojima." He says.

Oh yeah, Mom did mention my uncle still living here. "Then in that case, hi Uncle Zack."

"Just call me Zack, I don't want to sound old." Zack chuckles. "And you can call this little girl, Usagi. Say hi to your cousin Usagi."

Usagi hides behind her father's arm. She has spiky raven colored hair like her dad, the only difference being is that it's longer. She's wearing an overall dress, and has a purple t-shirt under it. "H-Hello." She stutters and goes back to hiding behind Zack.

I give her a warm smile. "Hi there!"

"She's a shy one," Zack laughs. "Takes after her mom. If only she could see her now..." Zack has a melancholic smile on his face. Is his wife dead? "Anyway, we'll head back to our house just as soon as I get gas for my car."

* * *

**Place: Destiny Islands- Streets**

"Damn, it must suck that you have to move because of your parents going to work abroad," Zack says whilst pulling up into the gas pump. "If it's any condolence to you, I'm looking forward to spending the year with you."

"Yeah, me too," I tell him.

The gas station attendant walks up to Zack's window. "You want the usual Mr. Dojima?" he asks.

"Yup, thanks." Zack hands him a 2000 munny bill, and the worker inserts it into the gas pump. He then proceeds insert the gas nozzle in the funnel, and begins to wipe the windshield. When he sees me in the front seat, he raises his eyebrow. Since all the windows are open, he goes to mine and smiles.

"You new here?" he asks.

"Uhh, yeah," I tell him. "I moving here from Traverse Town."

"So, are you surprised about how dull it is out here, compared to the city?" The pushy gas attendant asks. "You'll get bored to death if you don't find a way to occupy yourself."

"Thanks, I'll take that into consideration, I guess."

"Anyway, good luck living in the sticks, kid." He raises his fist.

Sure, why not give the gas attendant you've never met before a fist bump? I'm sure he's just trying to be kind. All of the gas attendees in Traverse Town normally just grunt, and make sure you don't steal stuff. As our fists connect, a small pain flashes in my head and I double over a bit. What the hell was with that?

"Are you okay?" Usagi's shrill voice asks. "Are you carsick?"

"Nah, I'm fine…" What the hell was with that. I look toward the gas attendant in his small booth, chewing gum and reading a comic.

This town just got 100% weirder.

* * *

**Time of Day: Evening  
Weather: Cloudy**  
**Place: Dojima Residence**

As we enter the house, I can't help but notice how quaint and humble the house is. The floor is made of a polished wood, and the walls are a warm tan color. The ceiling isn't too high up, but still tall enough to have a ceiling fan.

The foyer connects to the living room, which has a small coffee table, a couch, and an old TV in it. The kitchen and the living room are separated by a small counter with grocery bags on it. The kitchen has what you'd normally find in a kitchen, like a decent sized fridge, oven, and stove. However, it does look like they never use the oven, since there's small traces of rust on it.

"Hey Sora." Zack digs into a grocery bag. "Think fast." He tosses me a sandwich in plastic wrap.

It has a label that reads **Moogle Co.** and says what type of sandwich it is. Apparently, Zack threw me a ham and cheese on Italian. Not that I mind.

"We were supposed to make something, but because of my job at the police station, I just had to go and buy something." Zack says.

"No, it's okay. I wouldn't want you to do all of that for me."

"Don't be modest," Zack waves his hand. "Anyway, let's just- Oh, wait a minute." Zack's cell phone starts to ring. "What is it Terra? The chief seriously needs me now? Jesus, fine. Just make sure the old coot doesn't have an aneurysm while he waits." Zack hangs up.

"Is something wrong daddy?" Usagi asks.

Zack lets out an exasperated sigh. "Sorry guys, I have to head back to work. Apparently my partner Terra spilled some drinks on papers I filled out, and now I need to rewrite them again." Zack starts to walk out the front door. "I'll be back later. Whenever that'll be."

"Bye…" Usagi frowns as she gets up and locks the door.

Usagi sits in front of the coffee table, while I sit on the couch behind it. "So your dad is a detective, right? I'm pretty sure my mom explained that to me."

"Mhmm." Usagi nods her head up and down. "It's alway like this. He leaves whenever the phone rings."

Is it really like this all the time? Who takes care of Usagi? Before I'm able to ask a question, Usagi's face lights up as a commercial flashes on the TV.

"_Just remember, at Moogle Co, everyday is customer appreciation day!"_ A cheery woman says. "_Everyday's great at Moogle Co!"_ The spokesperson sings.

Usagi giggles. "Everyday's great at Moogle Co!" She mimics. Does she really like that song? I personally find them annoying. Usagi turns toward me. "Hm? Are you not going to eat?"

"Oh, I…" I look toward the unwrapped sub in my hands. "Bon appetit!"

* * *

After eating, Usagi brought me upstairs into my room. Hers was across from mine, and Zack's is at the end of the hall. In my room are boxes full of stuff that I couldn't bring with me in my duffle bags and backpack. Hanging on the closet door is a school uniform covered in plastic with a sticky note on it. The uniform is a white short sleeve dress shirt with a light blue tie and blue plaid dress pants.

The note reads, "_This is the uniform your parents ordered for you. You'll be starting school next week at Destiny High. I know it's near the end of the school year and all, but your parents insisted that you to get to know some people."_

Great, just when I thought I wouldn't have to start school until this September.

I throw my bags into a corner, and start looking through each of the boxes to make sure what's where. After looking through a couple boxes, I open one that contains my old school uniform. Compared to my new one, this one looks dreary, as the colors that make it up are shades of blacks and greys.

I let out a sad sigh. I really didn't like that school. Everyone was bratty and self absorbed, so I kind of became a loner. At least now I get a fresh start. Although, I still am gonna that new kid that moved during the most random part of the year. But that doesn't matter either. I'm gonna make friends, and I'm not gonna be so alone again… Ugh, geez Sora, don't sound so depressed.

I put the box in the deepest part of my closet, so that sad time can stay hidden.

I may not be dizzy anymore, but unpacking a bunch of boxes alone really makes a person tired. I flop onto my bed. Since I start school in a week, I might as well explore the town and get to know the area. I close my eyes and let the fatigue put me to sleep.

.

.

.

_Do you wish to learn the truth?_

My eyes bolt open. I'm falling in what seems to be a large body of water. Am I in the sea?

_Then try your best to catch it._

Who's there? As I continue falling, I notice a light above the water. I attempt to grab it, but instead the light blinds me.

I wake up, and I'm back in my bed.

* * *

**April 12, 2015  
Time of Day: Morning  
Weather: Rainy  
Place: Destiny High- Class 2-2**

_Sora Narukami_

I write my name on the whiteboard in the front of the class.

The teacher, Mr. Vexen Morooka a grumpy looking man with long blond hair, stands up from his chair. "Against my will, I'm going to introduce a transfer student to you." He sneers. "He's a pitiful guy who's been exiled from the corrupt city to the sticks, in the middle of nowhere." Wait, what now? "In other words, he's a fugitive!"

Excuse me? I turn the my teacher. "Who are you calling a fugitive?" The students in the classroom gasp at me talking back.

"W-What? Hey, you!" The teacher raises his hand. As he sluggishly swings it toward me, I grab it, and turn the attack into a handshake.

"Nice to meetcha." I grin as I put more strength into the handshake. It's just like dad always said, always give a stern handshake to those in charge. Dad also said not to take shit from people you just met.

"W-What?" Vexen's left eye starts to twitch. I let go of his hand, and he shakes it. Did I really put that much force into it? "Go find a seat, twerp."

"With pleasure." I mockingly bow. As I walk in between the desks, people are staring at me in awe. One girl was signaling me to sit next to her though. She had short raven hair, wore a black headband over her forehead, and a yellow and black Bruce Lee jacket over her uniform.

"Sup new kid, the name's Yuffie Satonaka, and you're friggin' badass!" Yuffie whispers. "Standing up to Frosty like that."

"Frosty? Oh you mean the teacher." I sit in the desk next to hers.

"Yeah, he's kind of a nut." She laughs.

"You two, shaddup and work on the Do-Now on the board!" Vexen yells.

* * *

**Time of Day: Afternoon**

The bell rings. "Okay, that's it for today," Vexen says as he leaves the classroom. "Do the homework I assigned or else you're screwed."

Once he shuts the door, the PA system turns on. "_Attention all student,"_ a female voice echos. "_There has been an accident near the campus. Please remain calm as you leave the school_."

As I get up from my seat, and head toward the door. "Hey Sora!" Yuffie says.

"Hm? Yeah, what is it?" I ask.

"You going home by yourself?" She asks. "You wanna walk with me and my friend Namine?" Yuffie points to a girl with light blonde hair and a mellow look on her face. She's wearing a white sweater over her uniform, and a sketchpad tucked securely in her arms. Why she's wearing a sweater when we live on tropical islands, I doubt I'll ever find out.

"My name is Namine Amagi." She puts out her hand, and I shake it. "Pleased to meet you."

"Same here," I say.

"Anyway, you coming or not?" Yuffie asks. "I'm guessing you just moved here, so you still don't quite know the way around this place."

I smile. "Is it really that obvious? I even had a week to get to know the area!"

"Hey Yuffie!" A boy walks up to us. His entire face looked as if it was about to slip off. His eyelids hovered over his pupils and locks of his spiky blonde hair slouched over his forehead. To say he looked a bit stressed didn't do him justice.

He has black and white bands on his wrists and fingers, and an **X**-shaped pendant hanging on a chain around his neck. He has a DVD case in his hands. "So, this was a great movie! Thanks, later!" He shoves the case into Yuffie's hands and attempts to run off, only for Yuffie to swiftly grab him by his collar.

"Not so fast, Roxas." Yuffie opens this case, and her face fills with anger and surprise. "What the hell?! You cracked my limited edition Trial of the Dragon!"

"Sorry, it was an accident!" Roxas apologizes. "I'll totally pay you back, so don't worry!"

"You really think you can pay back the six years of awesomeness I had watching this DVD?" Yuffie kicks Roxas where the sun don't shine, and he topples over. "C'mon guys, let's just go home!" She leaves the poor boy on the floor to writhe in agonizing pain.

As I walk out the door, I can't help but feel a little bit bad for the guy. "Should I just leave him?" I ask Namine.

"It's fine," Naminé said, giving me a peculiar smile. "He normally wakes up before the school locks up."

* * *

**April 13, 2015  
Time of Day: Morning  
Weather: Cloudy  
Place: Destiny Island- Streets**

"Will someone please help me!"

As I walk to school, I see a pair of legs waving around in a trash can. This is definitely one of the the weirdest things I've seen here. It might actually top the headache the gas station attendant gave me.

"C'mon, please? It smells like rotten sushi and gym socks in here!" None of the other students passing by seem to be helping the legs, so I walk up to the trash can and, with enough force, I'm able to pull the guy out.

"Phew, thanks dude. You're a lifesaver!" I just pulled you out of a trash can. It's not like you were going to die or something. He got up and brushes himself off. "Your name's Sora, right?"

"Yeah, and you're the guy Yuffie beat up." Roxas started to panic.

"I have a name too! It's Roxas Hanamura!"

"Yeah, I know." I grin. "I heard Yuffie say your name right before she, ou know." I make a kicking motion. Roxas' face became even more embarrassed.

"Anyway, you're new in town, right?" He asks.

"Yeah, why?"

"Well how bout after school, I show you around the town and maybe even get some grub!" He smiles.

"What a great idea Roxas!" Huh? We turn around and see Yuffie with a devious look on her face. "That's exactly how you'll pay me back for breakin' my stuff!"

* * *

**Time of Day: Afternoon  
Weather: Cloudy  
Place: Moogle Co.- Food Court**

"Really Roxas, the best you could do are the burgers at the food court here?" Yuffie asks. "I got psyched up for some steak, and you bring us here?!"

"Oh I'm so sorry, I didn't expect a freeloader to make things cost more!" Roxas retorts.

"Freeloader?" Yuffie asks angrily. We were at the Moogle Co. food court because Roxas couldn't afford afford steak for the three of us. He brought us here instead to buy us food because it was cheaper. It's kind of ironic now that I think about it. You know, the guy offers to buy us food, but in the end he doesn't have enough money?

While the two were arguing, I turn to the TV set next to us.

"_According to the latest news reports, the dead body found yesterday was identified as our local TV reporter, 27-year old Mayumi Yamano." _The reporter says sternly. "_She was found tied to a Paopu tree by a student from Destiny High on her way to school. For privacy reasons, she has asked us not to reveal her name to the public."_

While the newscaster was talking, a picture of Ms. Yamano was brought up.

"Hey, wasn't this on the news yesterday also?" Yuffie seemed to have stopped strangling Roxas to watch the report.

"Yeah, it's freaky how that stuff happened out here, huh?" Roxas scarfs down his frozen yogurt. "In a small town like this, the murderer could live next door!"

"Hey, don't go there! It creeps me out!" Yuffie gnaws on her burger.

"C'mon Yuffie, he's just messing with you." I chuckle.

"But anyway, time to change the subject." Yuffie finishes her last bit of food. "Have any of you heard of the Midnight Reflection rumor everyone's been talking about?"

"What's the Midnight Reflection?" Hmm, this sounds interesting.

"Oh yeah, isn't that if you look in a mirror on a rainy night, at midnight, you see your true love?" Roxas says as he eats a chicken nugget. "Honestly, how can you believe in that kiddy stuff? No wonder you don't have a boyfr-" Yuffie lunges towards the poor guy.

"What were going to say, Roxas?" Yuffie's strengthens her grip around Roxas' neck.

"No… Noth… Nothing…"

I attempt to smother my laughter. "Okay Yuffie, I think he's had enough." Yuffie continues to strangle Roxas. Looks like dating is a touchy subject for her.

"Anyway, how about we all watch it? It's supposed to rain all night!"

"Yeah sure, it seems interesting to me." This is probably just a hoax, but it might be cool if it's real.

While Yuffie shakes Roxas by his shirt collar and warning him of his death, Roxas looks to the side and smiles "Hey, it's Larxene! Hey Larxene, over here!" Yuffie lets go of Roxas and turns around.

A girl with blonde hair walks up to us. She has electric green eyes and her hair is combed back, except two strands that form antenna. How odd.

"Oh, hey Roxas!" Larxene waves.

I turned to Yuffie. "Who's the chick?"

"You mean Larxene? Yeah she works at Moogle Co. and is a Junior at our school. Roxas has a thing for her. I like her 'cause she's pretty cool. Pretty cute, too!" Yeah, I can see that. "Her family also owns a small liquor store on Main Street."

A shadow lingers over me. I dart my eyes up to meet with Larxene's skeptical ones. "Hey you, you're the new transfer student right?"

"Uh, yeah. The name's Sora Narukami."

"Thanks for being Roxas's friends. He doesn't have many despite the fact he's a pretty nice guy. Just make sure if he starts bugging you to tell me, okay?" Roxas has a look of embarrassment on his face. "Just joking!" Larxene chuckles.

"Umm Larxene, that wasn't really funny…" Roxas lets out an exasperated sigh."Anyway, do you want to go see a movie with me later this week?"

"Yeah sure, it'll be fun." Roxas hands her a ticket from his pocket. "Anyway, see you guys at school, I have to get going!"

"Nice job Roxas, you got a date." I congratulate him on his success.

"But the thing is Roxy, she'll probably only find out she loves you once she graduates," Yuffie teases. "That is if your dating life is like a bad romantic comedy anime." Yuffie and I laugh, Roxas joining in a second later.

I check the time. It's 5:30 PM. "Okay guys, I'll see you tomorrow. I'm going to go home and do my homework and shit like that." I say my goodbyes to the both of them and start to walk home.

* * *

**Time of Day: Night  
Weather: Rainy  
Place: Dojima Residence**

It's 11:57, just three minutes before the "Midnight Reflection" or whatever shows up. Thanks to some old stuff Zack had lying around in his basement, I found a medium-sized mirror. He didn't do anything when he saw me, so I'm going with the idea that he doesn't care if I take it or not.

But seriously, how is this supposed to work? Will this actually be a reflection? Or will there be something else? Why am I even thinking about this so much? It's just a rumor.

I look at the clock. It's 11:59. Just a couple more seconds.

6…

5…

4…

3…

2…

1…

A yellow light appears from the mirror. Is this actually happening, or am I dreaming? I look at the mirror more closely. I can't really make out what's in the reflection, but I see the profile of a girl.

_I am thou…_

This voice! It's the same as my dream from last we- ARAGH! My head! What the Hell?

_Thou art I…_

_He who shall open the door…_

My hand moves toward the mirror. I touch it, but my hand doesn't stop. My entire arm goes through the mirror! I struggle to pull it out, but it's like something's pulling me in. Once I finally free my arm, I fall on the floor, and the image disappears. What the hell is going on here!

* * *

**April 14, 2015  
Time of Day: Morning  
Weather: Sunny  
Place: Destiny High- Class 2-2**

"Let me get this straight, so you're saying that your arm went inside the mirror, but couldn't go any further because your mirror was too small?" Roxas asks me.

"Yeah, you pretty much covered it."

"What kind of drugs were you taking last night?" Yuffie asks me.

"I'm not kidding when I said that I saw that girl!" I argue

"Hey guys!" It's Naminé. "I just came to say bye, I have to rush to the inn."

"Okay, bye Nami! Hang in there, girl!" Yuffie was waving to a running Naminé.

"She works at an Inn?" I ask Yuffie.

"Her family owns it. It's practically the pride and joy of Destiny Islands. It's busy season there so Nami is always working." She shakes her head. "But that's not what we're talking about! We need to get a mirror and see if Sora's drug-induced visions were real!" Really Yuffie, I'm not on drugs.

"Yeah, I bet Moogle Co. has big enough mirrors to do it!" Roxas told us and started to laugh.

* * *

**Time of Day: Afternoon  
Weather: Sunny  
Place: Moogle Co.**

"Do you guys know the meaning of a joke, or what?" Roxas asks.

We were at Moogle Co. in the aisle where the mirrors were. The three of us were propping up a large mirror onto a wall.

"Oh whatever Roxas." Yuffie waves her hand at him. "Also, I saw those pretty cool TV's back there. Do you think you can cut me a deal with your connections?" Yuffie asks him with a sly grin.

"Of course I cannot." Roxas retorts.

"Connections?" I ask Roxas.

"Yeah, my dad was relocated to here in Destiny Islands as manager of Moogle Co." Roxas tells me. "I'm from the city just like you, except I'm from Twilight Town, not Traverse. I got here about maybe 6 months ago."

"Moogle Co. does make things easier," Yuffie admits, "but all the Mom and Pop shops are closing down due to it… Sad, isn't it?"

"Don't say that in front of me! It makes me and my family sound like villains!" Roxas whines. God this guy can be such a baby!

"Anyway, apparently everyone's thinks the hick they interviewed on TV was Larxene!" Yuffie says.

"Now that you mention it, it did sound like her. That's probably why she wasn't in school yesterday." I notice the concerned look on Roxas.

While they bantered about the news interview, I start to move my hand towards the mirror. Once my hand makes contact with it, the surface of the mirror makes a ripple effect as my hand continues through.

"WOAH!" Yuffie and Roxas are looking at me putting my hand in with a confused and amazed look.

"Your hand went right in!"

"So you weren't on drugs!" I told you so Yuffie. "That's awesome!"

"I think I can go deeper…" It's to the point that my entire right arm is inside the mirror.

"GOD THIS IS CREEPING ME OUT! I THINK I MIGHT PISS MYSELF!" Really Roxas, how old are you again?

"You can't do that we're in the middle of a store! Come over here so you can cool off!"

I put my head in and just see light. At that moment Yuffie and Roxas fall on me, and all three of us fall into the mirror.

* * *

**Time of Day: ?  
Weather: Foggy  
Place: ?**

As the light fades away, three of us start falling. Our landing is just as abrupt as our entrance.

As I attempt to stand up, I study the platform we're on. It's circular in shape, and seems to be made up of multicolored stained glass. There are outlines of bodies, like what detectives do at crime scenes, carved into the glass. All around us is a dense fog so thick, that I can't see farther than probably about 10 feet.

Toto, I've got a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore.

"Ow… Head hurts…" Roxas got up.

"Ugh, where are we?" Yuffie got up too.

"I think we're inside the mirror…" I say.

"Don't say that kind of stuff so calmly! It creeps me out!"

"This hurt too much to be a dream. I think I broke my ass…" I'm _so_ surprised Roxas.

"Where the hell did we fall from anyway?" Yuffie brings up a good point. All I see is fog, fog, and hey, look over there! Even more fog. It's like there's not even a sky.

While Roxas and Yuffie are panicking, I see a shadow in the distance. I can't tell what it is, but it's waddling instead of walking normally.

"What's that?" Yuffie asks in a shrill manner.

"I don't know, and I don't want to!" Roxas yells as he starts to run off.

"Hey hold on!" I follow after him, and Yuffie follows suit.

After running and getting lost, we evacuate into an apartment complex and go upstairs into one of the rooms. Although I'm kind of regretting it now. The room's interior is even more threatening than the outside.

There's a noose attached to the ceiling, a chair on the floor, and a poster. The poster looked like it had a person on it, but the face was ripped off.

"Where… Are we?" I ask rhetorically. As if they knew. They're probably about as freaked out as I am.

"OM MY GOD NO NO NO NOOOOO!" Roxas sreams

"WHAT? WHAT IS IT ROXAS!" Yuffie panicked when Roxas started to scream.

"I CAN'T HOLD IT IN ANY LONGER!" Roxas runs to a corner of the room and opens his zipper.

"Geez that was it… Wait, you can't just pee here, it's someone's room! Sora hurry and stop him!"

"Huh? Why would I do that?" Yuffie looks at me with a confused and surprised face.

"Look, I can't go with you here, so can you just leave the room for a minute while I do my business!" Really Roxas? Just GO already. It's not like we'll be here again anytime sooner. Or anywhere at all if we don't get killed here first…

"You're unbelievable, like I wanted to watch you take a pi-" Yuffie lets out a high pitched scream.

I heard Yuffie scream. Roxas and I run towards her. What I see is what seems to be a giant duck in a sailor suit. It appears to have a giant zipper on its waist.

"What is that?"

"A… Duck?" Okay, why the hell is there someone in a duck costume here?

"I should be asking you the same thing!" the duck screams at us.

"Of course! I am a duck! Geez, I've lived here since forever!"

"What's your problem?" I ask him

"Ugh, whatever, just keep quiet and go back! The Heartless, the Heartless!" The duck warns us. "Here, take these and find your way out!" He then starts to run away.

He gives me a pair of black rimmed glasses. I put them on and I can see clearly through the fog.

"You actually put those on?" Roxas asks me.

Before I can answer, I see something that looks like a blob of darkness. "Guys, something's over there…"

Out of the darkness comes a small creature with bright yellow eyes, two small antennas, and is crawling on four legs.

"What are those things?" Yuffie's voice was trembling.

As more begin to appear, we start running down the stairs of the apartment complex, and into a clearing. Once there, some of them catch up to Yuffie and pile onto her.

"Yuffie!" I run back toward her in an attempt to help her up, but they leave her behind and come toward me. Her unconscious body lies on the ground. I run back toward Roxas, but we're slowly surrounded by the monsters.

As they inch closer, the number of monster start to increase. Some even look more humanoid, but have blue bodies, what seems to be a knight's helmet on. Unlike the black one, these have symbol on them of black hearts outlined in red

"Crap, crap! We're done for…" Roxas cowers in fear.

"I can't move my legs!"

_I am thou…_

This voice!

_Thou art I…_

The monsters stopped moving toward us.

"Huh, they stopped…" Roxas is breathing heavily.

Suddenly a warm blue light appears above me. In the center of the light was a card floating down to me. One of the cards Igor showed me in the Velvet Room.

The card with the zero value,The Fool Arcana!

_Thou hast open thine eyes…The time… Is NOW!_

A ring of blue light appears on the ground around me.

_"Per…"_ The ring of azure light grows stronger, and a half-dark, half-light mask appears in the middle of it.

_"So…"_ A blue flame appears around the card.

_"Na!"_ I clench the card with my hand and it shatters with the sound of glass breaking.

The blue light becomes so bright that I couldn't even see what was around me. My adrenaline starts to pump. I grin as a large man appears behind me, holding what seems to be a giant key in his right hand. He's holding it like a sword, like some kind of Keyblade or something.

He's wearing a black coat with a long zipper extending from the neck to the bottom of it. He's wearing my crown necklace, yellow shoes, and baggy black pants with belts and chains on them. On his right arm is a black, silver, and gold pauldron, and on his head is a helmet with two short points on top and a black visor.

"_Thou art I… I art thou… I reign in the sea of thy heart… I am Izanagi, creator of man!"_ Izanagi's voice booms, and golden eyes shine behind his black visor.

"Sora… What the hell?" Roxas' mouth is agape.

Two of the monsters rush towards us to attack, but Izanagi slashes the two of them into black dust. Izanagi slams the Keyblade into the ground, creating shockwaves, and destroying many of our opponents. Out of nowhere though, some of the Heartless are able to latch onto his arms and back.

A searing pain in my upper body makes me get down onto my knee. "GET OFF ME!" Izanagi rips them off, sending them flying and destroying them in the process.

More Heartless come at us, and Izanagi always eliminates each one without fail. After fending off more monsters, a strong power surges through me.

I point toward the groups of Heartless in front of us. "FINISH IT, IZANAGI!" Izanagi raises his weapon, and lightning strikes each of one of the monsters. Once each one turned into dark matter and black dust, Izanagi fades away.

After all of that, I realize I'm breathing heavily and that the adrenaline is slowly leaving my body. "Persona… This power… It's mine!"

"Sora?" Roxas says.

I turn toward him and smile.

* * *

**Welcome people of Fanfiction to my story, Persona Hearts! I'm basing this story of the the plot of Persona 4, a JRPG by the company Atlus. I'm having this beta read by the writer Painted With a Palette, so consider her my editor/co-author.**

**Anyway, this concludes the first chapter of Persona Hearts! I hope you enjoyed yourselves, and please R&amp;R!**


	2. Dark Reflections

**Ch. 2- Dark Reflections**

**Time of Day: ?  
Weather: Foggy  
Place: The Velvet Room**

"Welcome to the Velvet Room, Sora," Igor greets.

"Only those who are bound by a contract may enter here," Margaret says. "You have awakened to your power most brilliantly," She's complimenting me, but her tone of voice sound cold, uncaring even. She has a pretty face, but her cold personality kinda scares me.

"Please take this with you," Igor says. On the table in front of him, a blue light appears. Out of it, a small key materializes. It's shaped like Izanagi's Keyblade, except its guard is a lustrous sapphire, and the blade itself is a flawless bronze. It levitates toward me, and I grab it without thought.

"This is the Contractor's Key," Margaret informs me. "From this night forth, you are our esteemed guest in the Velvet Room."

"You have just recently evoked your own Persona, Izanagi," Igor recalls. "But the true form of your Persona is that of the Wild Card."

"Compared to that of others, it is very special," Margaret tells me. "It is like the number zero. Empty, yet holding infinite potential within itself."

Igor grins and looks at me with his bloodshot eyes. Creepy. "I look forward to travelling the road of your destiny together to see where your awakened power of the Wild Card will take you."

I look at the small key in my hand, and firmly grasp it.

Everything around me starts to fade into mist.

* * *

****April 14, 2015  
Time of Day: ?  
Weather: Foggy  
Place: ?****

"Yuffie! Yuffie, wake up!" I shake her unconscious body.

She grunts a little and her eyes slowly open. "Oh thank god, you're alive!" Roxas says.

"Woah..." Yuffie rubs her eyes. "I had the freakiest dream, where there were monsters and… I wasn't dreaming… Was I?" Roxas and I shake our heads no. "Then where'd the monsters go?"

I grin and point at myself. "You can thank this guy!"

"Are you serious?" Yuffie gets back up on her feet, and pats any dirt off of her.

"We wouldn't be alive if it weren't for him!" Roxas says. "What the hell was that thing?"

"I think it was called a Persona… I'm not really sure what it really is though," I say. "What I do know is that we seriously need to get out of this place before mor uglies come after us!"

"I'd love to do that, but we have no idea where we are!" Yuffie says.

"Maybe if we find that weird duck thing, we can find our way out," Roxas suggests.

After what seemed to be hours of walking, we finally find the stained glass platform we first arrived at. Thank god that duck was there too.

"An exit?" he asks.

"Well it seems like you know this place better than we do, so-"

"First, tell me what happened to those Heartless!" Roxas is cut off by the duck's question.

"You mean those monsters back there?" I ask. "I beat them. What'd you do, provoke 'em or something?" The duck jumps and smacks me in the head with a wand. "Owwwwww… What'd I say?"

"How rude of you! I've had it up to here with those bozo Heartless and people coming in here and riling them up!" He raises his wand, and a double door appears next to us. "Now scram! Beat it! I'm a busy duck!" He waddles behind us, and starts pushing us toward the door.

"H-Hey wait, we still got some question for you!" Roxas says, but the Duck continues to push us. Once we finally fall through the door of the frame, my body just keeps on falling, and falling, and falling…

* * *

****Time of Day: Afternoon  
Weather: Sunny  
Place: Moogle Co.****

When I open my eyes, the three of us are back in Moogle Co. "W-We're back!"

"Thank god!" Yuffie cheers, and Roxas goes in for a hug with Yuffie, but she shoves him away.

Roxas laughs. "Holy crap, we're alive!"

I laugh, but then I notice something on a wall nearby us. On closer inspection, it's extremely similar to the torn up poster we saw in the other world. "Hey, look at this. It's like that torn up poster in the other world."

"Yeah, that's Misuzu Hiiragi. They're saying her hubby had an affair with Ms. Yamano."

"You mean that woman they found dead?" I ask. Yuffie nods her head.

"Who cares? It's not like she'd have anything to do with that room." Roxas gets up from the ground.

"Imagine if she and that room are connected to Yamano's death…" I suggest.

"Don't go there, man," Roxas complains. "I want to forget about that place as fast as I can!"

"C'mon Rox, grow some balls." I laugh. "Who knows, maybe we could find out who killed her and get a reward!"

"How are the cops gonna believe that we jumped inside a mirror?" Yuffie asks.

"Hey, it was just a suggestion."

"Anyway, I don't feel too hot. I gotta go."

"See ya, I hope you feel better. What about you Roxas?" I ask.

"I'm going to go find a bathroom."

* * *

****April 15, 2015  
Time of Day: Noon  
Weather: Rainy  
Place: Destiny High- Gymnasium****

I hate school assemblies. They're boring and half the time they talk about either a fundraiser or something I don't care about. It doesn't help that Yuffie told me the principal says all the announcements. His dry, boring voice doesn't make it any better.

"So this guy tries to hit on Namine, right?" Yuffie whispers

"Mhmm."

"I step in because he clearly didn't understand Namine was uninterested."

"Yup."

"So then when I tell him to leave he called me a- Sora, are you even listening to me?" Yuffie asks.

"Hm? Yeah." I look up from my phone. "Some clueless jackass was hitting on Namine, right?"

Yuffie sighs. "Anyway, when I told him to leave, he called me a bitch!"

"Where is Namine anyway?"

"It's busy at the inn, so she has to help there."

"An inn?"

"Are you serious?" Yuffie asks. "Haven't you passed by a large traditional looking building by the beach?"

"Yeah, why? That's the inn?"

"Yup, it's pretty much the pride and joy of the islands."

"So, what'd I miss?" Roxas whispers as he sits down next to us.

"Whatever the principal said, listening to it won't do you jackshit," I deadpan.

Roxas snickers. "Wow, you just got here, and you already know the ropes. I'm impressed. Anyway, have you guys seen Larxene anywhere?"

"Nah, man. Sorry 'bout that," I tell him

"I wonder where she is… We were supposed to meet-"

"Can it, will you?!" Vexen scolds from the side. "The principal has one last thing to say."

The principal clears his throat. "I'm afraid to be the bearer of bad news today, But Larxene Konishi from Class 3-2 was found dead this morning." Wait, what?

I turn toward Roxas and he's in shock. The bright demeanor he had earlier had vanished, leaving Yuffie and us with what seemed to be an empty shell. People around us are gasping, or barely paying attention.

* * *

****Place: Destiny High- Library****

"Her body was tied up somewhere just like that Yamano lady!" a male student whispers to the person next to him.

"This time it was by the Amagi Inn!" a female student gossips to her friend.

"Like, are you kidding me?" her friend replies.

Thanks for making the job of comforting Roxas much easier, jackasses. Go gossip in your somewhere else, Yuffie and I are trying to help our friend out here.

"Roxas, just block it out," I advise him. "Let's just head somewhere-"

"Hey, did you guys check the Midnight Reflection last night?" he asks.

"What does that have to do with anything right now?" Yuffie asks, her tone a bit more reserved than usual.

Roxas faces us with bloodshot eyes. "Just hear me out this one time, okay?" Yuffie and I nod. "Last night, I just had to watch it again. I think the girl on the mirror was Larxene. You've heard the rumors of people saying that they saw Larxene too, right?"

"Yeah, so?" I ask. "I don't see… Oh wait, you're not talking about Ms. Yamano, are you?" I ask.

"Someone said they saw Yamano on the Reflection, and then she died afterwards. Then the same exact thing happened to Larxene!"

"Roxas, are you saying that whoever shows up on the Reflection _dies_?!" Yuffie has a shocked look on her face.

"What if Larxene went into that world?" Roxas asks, his pale face turning from sad to determined. "We have to go back inside and check!"

"Are you serious?" Yuffie asks.

"If you don't want to, fine. I'll go by myself."

"I'm coming with you," I tell him.

"Sora, are you mental?" Yuffie asks.

"Who else is going to protect him in case those Heartless or whatever that weird duck called them attack again?" Roxas smiles at me. "We'll go after school. There are mirrors here, but who knows where we'll end up. Our safest bet is to go inside a mirror at Moogle Co, and hope we'll be back in the same place."

* * *

****Time of Day: ?  
Weather: Foggy  
Place: Mirror World****

"Owww…" Roxas grunts.

"We really need to work on our landings…" I get up from the ground, and scan the area. Even with these glasses on, I can't see much, just what's in front of me.

"What're you palookas doin' back here?!" The duck comes running toward us.

"You again! I knew we'd find you if we went through the same way!" Roxas says.

The duck puts its hand on it beak. "Hmm, you two are some very suspicious folk… Have you been shoving people into this world?!"

"Hey, watch it! There's no way we'd ever kill someone!" Roxas defends.

"Wait, does that mean people have been thrown in here before?" I ask. The duck nods his head up and down. "Maybe that's how Larxene and Yamano died."

The duck points at me. "And you're the guys who did it, ain't ya?! Come clean!"

"How do we know you're not the one who dragged Larxene here?" Roxas grabs the duck's large zipper around its waist and starts unzipping it. "Now take off that ridiculous costume and-" Roxas screams as the upper body of the duck falls off. It's lower body _literally _starts running like a headless chicken. Err, headless duck, I guess. Its upper body isn't moving, and its eyes are pure white. Creepy.

"W-Why the hell is that thing empty?" Roxas asks.

After getting a quick laugh at my friend's expense, I grab the upper body and zip it back up with the lower one. "Geez, thanks for that!" the duck says.

"Sora, does anything faze you?" Roxas asks.

"What? I just thought it was funny." I laugh.

"Okay, since you guys said you aren't the culprits, prove it to me!" He stands up and crosses his arms. "You two have to help me find the guy who did this! I just want to live here in peace, and who's ever throwing people in here is disrupting the Heartless! So would you mind helping me out?"

"Why would we-"

"Sure," I interrupt Roxas. "Why not?"

"Are you serious Sora?" Roxas has a look of confusion on his face.

"Well for one thing, I kinda feel bad for him. Another thing is that who knows, this could be interesting."

Roxas sighs. "Okay, fine. But you better help us you nutty duck."

"By the way, my name is Donald. Donald Duck." Donald extends his hand, and I shake it.

"Pleased to meet your acquaintance, Donald!"

* * *

"Woah, you really can see clearly with these things on!" Roxas says as he ogles through his glasses. They have rectangular shaped lenses and have black and white check designs on them. "Hey, this kinda look like the shopping district."

Donald stops walking and looks around. "I last saw a person here. She had blonde hair and weird antenna looking hair."

"That sounds exactly like Larxene!" Roxas' face brightens.

"She disappeared into that store up there." Donald points and a small old looking store down the street.

"That her family's liquor store!" Roxas says.

Random, unintelligible whisper-like sounds resonate in the direction of the store. "You guys hear that too?" I ask.

"_I wish that damn Moogle Co. would go under!"_

"_Oh, I heard that Mr. Konishi's daughter is work there!"_

"_How could she, with her family's business suffering like it is?"_

"_What a troublesome and ignorant child."_

Roxas grits his teeth and clenches his fists. "Who's saying that? Shut the hell up!" Roxas starts running to the shop.

"Roxas, wait! It could be dangerous!" Donald and I chase after him.

Donald and I run inside the small store. Walls everywhere are covered in different types of liquor, enough to even put the Velvet Room to shame. Although the strong smell of whiskey begs to differ.

"_Larxene, how many times do I have to tell you?"_ a deep booming voice echos. "_Our family owns this liquor store, aren't you ashamed of yourself? How could you get a job at Moogle Co?"_

"Is that her dad's voice?" Roxas asks. "How are we hearing this? Wait..." By Roxas' feet is the torn up ticket he gave to Larxene. "Why is this torn up?"

"_I never had the chance to say it…" _Larxene's voice resonates around the store. "_I wasn't able to tell Roxas… That he was a pain in the ass. I was only nice to him because he was the store manager's son, but he took it all the wrong way and got enthusiastic."_

"What? Why would she…" Roxas' face is pale.

"_Who cares about Moogle Co anyways? The store, this town, I wish everyone would just disappear!"_

Roxas grits his teeth. "Shut it! Larxene doesn't sound anything like that!"

Laughing rings from the shadows in front of us. "_It's so sad,"_ a familiar, yet eerie voice says. "_I feel so sorry for myself!_" Myself? "_It's actually funny when you think about it, considering I'm the one who thinks everyone and everything is a pain in the ass!"_ From the shadows comes out…

Another Roxas?

He has golden eyes, and a dark smirk on his face. "_Ain't it right, me?"_

"There are two of Roxas?" I say.

"What the? Who the heck are you?" Roxas asks.

Roxas' double sighs and put his hand on his face. "_I'm you, idiot. Can't you tell, or are you just as dimwitted as everyone calls you?"_

"Shut up!" Roxas retorts. "Where's Larxene?"

Other Roxas laughs. "_You're actually concerned about her? I'm pretty sure we both know that the only reason you came was because it sounded fun! What else is there to do in the sticks?"_

"That's… Not true." Roxas struggles with his words.

"_Who knows? Maybe in the end, you could have been the hero! The one to go inside the mirror and save the princess!" _Other Roxas laughs. "_All you needed was an excuse, and Larxene's death was the perfect one."_

"Who the hell do you think you are, saying crap like that!"

"_I am your Heartless… The true inner self… And Roxas, I am you."_

"I am not you!" Roxas yells.

Roxas' Heartless face fills with disgust. "_I dare you to say that again…"_

"You're not me!"

Roxas' Heartless starts backing up in the shadows behind him, its golden eyes becoming even brighter as lets out a twisted laugh. "_I guess you're right then. You and me are nothing alike!"_

Once Roxas' Heartless is consumed by the darkness, a shockwaves sends the three of us flying. Roxas' doppelganger was replaced by a gargantuan Heartless! It seems to be clad in a white bodysuit, as evidenced by the large, silver zipper lining its front. Its simple, round head's only feature is a white Heartless symbol, and around its neck are long, blue moving tentacles.

The walls around fall and shatter into pieces, revealing the fog-blanketed world around us. Roxas' Heartless raises its hand, and swings it toward Roxas, but I quickly push him out of the way.

"**PERSONA!"** I shatter my arcana, and Izanagi appears in a blue light. He rushes toward the Heartless, and starts bashing him with the Keyblade. The Heartless retaliates by swinging his fists around, but none of its attack connect.

"Roxas, are you okay?" I ask.

"He's nothing like me…" Roxas mumbles.

"But Roxas, that thing came from you!" Donald says.

"No he didn't!" Roxas cries out.

Roxas' Heartless laughs. "_You put on a good show of being carefree and happy-go-lucky, but that's only because you don't want to be alone!"_

"Shut up, shut up, shut up!" Roxas yells. "Stop lying!" Roxas makes a run for it, only to be knocked back by back Heartless. Izanagi quickly holds a defensive stance in front of us in his attempt to protect us from more danger.

Donald screams as pools of darkness surround the area. "It's attracting more Heartless! Sora, if you don't end this soon, things will get even uglier!"

Izanagi rushes the Heartless, but none of his attacks connects. Roxas' Heartless counters by grabbing him, throwing him on the ground, and pummeling him. Every punch feels like a truck, and my vision is starting to get blurrier.

"_I know everything about you! I know how pathetic you really are!"_ Roxas' Heartless says.

"_Why don't you ask Roxas to do it?" _a girl's voice echos.

"_What, that loser?"_ another girl's voice says. "_That guy think everyone likes him, but it's only because he's the manager's son."_

Roxas Heartless laughs. "_You knew you were a nuisance, but you played the part of being a dumbass well!"_

"SHUT UP!" Roxas yells. His Heartless jumps in front of us, but Izanagi fends him off and knocks him away using the keyblade.

"_You asked her out because you were sick of living out in the country! You just wanted to do something fun!"_

"You're wrong! Wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong!"

"SNAP OUT OF IT ROXAS!" As Izanagi punches the Heartless, I deck Roxas in the face.

"What gives?!" Roxas rubs his face.

"I'm knocking the shit out of you," I tell him. "Anyway, you liked Larxene, right?"

"Yeah… I really liked her…"

"Then isn't that enough to prove that what your Heartless is saying?" I give him my hand.

Roxas grabs my hand and I pick him back up. "I guess… I know I'm not lying about liking her, but I did turn a blind eye to what everyone said about me. Hell, even I think I'm annoying sometimes at how I act. But my feeling for her were real." Roxas looks toward his Heartless battling Izanagi. "That thing's a part of me, right? Now that I think about it, this is probably all of me."

Roxas' Heartless stops its attacks, and grabs its head in pain. "_No! Shut up you brat!"_

"There's your chance!" Donald says.

"IZANAGI!" Izanagi's keyblade imbues itself with lighting, and he starts slashing the Heartless until it explodes into dark matter. From the dark clouds immerges the human form of Roxas' Heartless on the floor.

Roxas walks up to his double and kneels in front of it. "You're me, aren't you?" Roxas asks.

His Heartless laughs. "_And I'm you, dumbass."_

Roxas' copy rises into the air in a blue light, and transforms into something completely different. From the blue light comes a large man draped in a large black coat, similar to Izanagi's. His head is a simple silver and has a blue scarf around his neck. His hands have brass knuckles on them, and claws for finger tips.

It turns into a blue card and lands in Roxas' hand. "So this is my Persona?"

"Yup!" I give him a thumbs up. "How does it feel to be part of the Badass Club?"

"Tiring, if you couldn't already tells." He sighs. "You really saved my ass back there. Thanks."

* * *

****Time of Day: Afternoon  
Weather: Rainy  
Place: Destiny Islands Streets****

"I'm wiped, man," Roxas says.

"Same here," I tell him.

"So Larxene and Ms. Yamano were thrown into that place, right?"

"Yeah, and Donald told us before we left that everyone else faced their Heartless as well. They just didn't accept their own."

"If someone really did throw them in, then we should be the ones to find out who did it!"

"We did make that promise with Donald to help him out."

"_You_ did, anyway. But yeah, maybe together, we can find the culprit ourselves." Roxas extends his hand. "Welp, I'll be counting on you."

I grab his hand and shake it firmly. "Yeah. It's a promise." As Roxas lets of of his hand, the rains becomes weaker, and the afternoon sun appears as the clouds part.

This is going to be a fun year, isn't it?

* * *

****And Chapter 2 is done! I'd just like to tell anyone new to this story is that this is a recent rewrite of my second chapter of Persona Hearts, same for Chapter 1. When I first started, my writing skills were extremely flawed, and I thought that going back a rewriting some of these chapter would be a good idea. ****

**I'm planning to rewrite up until Chapter 5, because that's when I feel my writing has started to improve.**

**Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I certainly hope you enjoy the rest of my story!**


	3. Why is My Heartless Such a Bitch!

**Chapter 3: Why is My Heartless Such a Bitch?!**

**Time of Day: ?  
Weather: Foggy  
Place: The Velvet Room**

"Hello… And welcome to the Velvet Room…" Igor greets me. "The abilities of one's Persona are driven by the power of your heart, which can only be sated by your bonds with others…"

"It was only through your personal interactions and the subsequent bond that formed that you were able to obtain the Magician Arcana," Margaret informs me.

The Magician Tarot card appears in blue light and lands in the closed book she has in her hand. Margaret opens the book and I see a picture of the card and Roxas. "And as your bond deepens, your powers will continue to grow." Margaret turns to me. "I urge you to remember what you have learned today."

"Now then," Igor starts to speak, "it is time for us to bid farewell… until we meet again…"

Everything around me melts into the fog outside.

* * *

****April 14, 2015  
Time of Day: Noon  
Weather: Rainy  
Place: Destiny High- Class 2-2****

"You saw it, right?"

"Yeah, I did." Roxas and I are in the classroom talking about the Midnight Reflection.

Yuffie runs in, breathing heavily. "Have you seen Namine?"

"Sorry, we haven't," Roxas tells her. "She hasn't shown up yet."

"Oh man… What do I do?" Yuffie's distraught voice cracks.

"What's the matter?" I ask Yuffie.

"I was watching the Midnight Reflection last night and-"

"We were just talking about that!" Roxas, be careful about who you cut off. This is Yuffie we're talking to.

"I think… I think I saw Namine last night!" Oh God… if Yuffie says she saw that, this could turn out badly. "She had on a Kimono, and I've seen her wear it before! She had it on during an interview about her inn and Ms. Yamano! I've sent her a bunch of texts, but she hasn't replied to any."

"Have you tried calling?" I ask her.

"Yeah, but it goes straight to voicemail."

"Do you think she could have-"

"Don't go there!" Once Yuffie cut Roxas off, everyone in the room stopped for a moment to see what had happened, then went back to what they were doing. Thanks a lot Roxas, you made her cause a scene.

"Sorry…" Yuffie apologized to everyone. A phone's jingle cut through the room's silence, prompting side conversations to return. Was that a Kim Possible ringtone? Cool. I'll ask where she got that later.

Yuffie pulls out her phone. Her expression turns from fear to relief. "Oh thank God! Namine was busy at the inn because a large group showed up without a reservation!"

"So if that wasn't Namine, who was it in the Reflection?" As of now, we sound like Scooby and the gang trying to find a culprit in a mask. Except we're trying to find a killer.

The bell rings and we leave the classroom for our next class.

* * *

**Time of Day: Afternoon  
Weather: Rainy  
Place: Destiny High- Lockers/Entrance**

Yuffie and I are walking down to the school entrance. We're going to Moogle Co. to see if we can ask Donald if he saw a girl. Yuffie is going through her notebook, looking over each page.

"Are those notes for Namine?" I ask Yuffie.

She turns to me. "Yeah, considering she missed class today, and we have a quiz next week, I thought I might help her out."

"Aww, what a good friend you are." I tease.

Yuffie holds up her thumb. "Yup, I'm the greatest!"

I look to my right and see a couple posters. Let's see… Drama, Band, Struggle, Blitzball… Not much variety, huh. As I'm looking for more clubs to join, two guys walk up to me. One guy has long blond hair that makes him looks like a surfer and his holding a blue and white ball with bumps on it. He has tanned muscles and a grin you could never forget. The other spiky blond hair and is holding a blue bat. He's not as tan or toned as the person next to him, but he looks like he can pack a punch. the look on his face tells me he's trying to see if I'd be a good team member.

"So, you interested in playing Blitzball?" The blond one asks me. "The name's Tidus Nagase, Captain of the Blitzball Team." He extends his fist. I gave him a fist bump back.

"My name's Hayner Ichijo, Captain of of the Struggle Team." Hayner shows me his hand. I shake it firmly. "You play much Struggle?"

"No not really." I never really got into sports because I was tired hearing guys talk about protein shakes and the age-old question "Which cheerleader did you do this time bruh?

"Heeey! Are we going or what?" Yuffie is screaming across the hallway.

"See ya." I wave bye to the jocks and head toward the exit.

* * *

****Time of Day: Noon  
Weather: Rainy  
Place: Moogle Co.- Home Decor****

Yuffie, Roxas, and I are by the mirror we first entered through. Roxas caught up with me and Yuffie once we got to the entrance of the store.

"It's really crowded here today. Hey Sora, see if you can put your hand in the mirror to signal Donald!"

"Got it, Yuffie," I put my hand through the mirror while Yuffie and Roxas make sure no one is watching. I put my hand through and FUCK THAT HURT! I pull my hand out, and there's a bite mark on it. "Fuck!" I curse underneath my breath.

"What happened?" Roxas asks.

"Something bit me!"

"Woah, it even left teeth marks! Are you ok, Sora?" Yuffie asks.

"I might be dying."

"No you're not." Yuffie looks at me with an annoyed face. Can you take a joke?

"Is that Yuffie I hear? What's up is this some sort of new game?" We look toward the mirror. In it there's a light reflection of Donald. How we hear him, we'll probably never know, but that's not what we need to know right now!

"Donald, does it seem like anyone is there with you right now?" Roxas asks Donald.

"Hm? Of course not. I'm all alone right now!" Donald answers.

"Are you sure?" Yuffie asks.

"Yeah, I'm sure! I can use my wand to see if anyone else is here besides me!"

"Ok, this is weird. We saw someone, but they haven't shown up yet! What you you think that means?" Roxas asks me.

"I think it means we need to check the Midnight Reflection again. Tonight."

* * *

****Time of Day: Nighttime  
Weather: Rainy  
Place: Dojima Residence****

We left Moogle Co. a couple hours ago. As of now it's a minute till midnight. Everyone is asleep except me. I turn off the TV in my room and stare into the mirror. 5 seconds. 5… 4… 3… 2… 1.

A pale yellow light emits from the mirror. In it, the first thing I see is a pair of lips making a kiss. The lips retreat from each other and reveal that it's Namine. She's in a white princess dress and has a silver tiara with rubies on it. I don't like the look of this at all.

"_Hm? Oh hello there! My name is Namine Amagi, and todaaaay, Imma be goin' on some stud-hunting!"_ How the hell can I hear this? It's a mirror, not a TV!

"_Are you ready? C'mon, saddle up, and bring up the studs! It's Namine's Hunt for Prince Charming!"_ Oh God… What the hell is this?!

"_And I'm prepared! My lacy unmentionables are ready to go and so is my heart!" _At this point I'm both horrified and aroused. _Ha-roused _you might say. But this is the complete opposite of Namine! She's supposed to be air headed and polite, not this!

"_See, I'm out to tame me the best pack of studs there are! Let's- Oh my. Looks like it's time to go now. Well in that case, see you all soon!"_ Reflection Namine turns around and run into the castle behind her, ending the reflection.

My phone rings next to me. It's Roxas.

Roxas starts to talk. "Dude, did you-"

"Yeah. I kind of wished that I recorded it."

* * *

****April 15, 2015********  
Time of Day: Noon  
Weather: Sunny  
Place: Dojima Residence****

I walk into the living room to see Usagi watching TV. I dressed a blue t-shirt under a black hoodie with t-shirt length sleeves, and baggy black pants with two large red pockets on the side. Why the pockets? Because huge pockets are cool, like bowties and fezes. I planned to meet up with Roxas at the Moogle Co. Food Court.

"Morning Usagi."

"Hm. Oh, good morning." I look at the weather report. It'll be sunny and no rain at all. That means no Midnight Reflection tonight.

"Are you going out?" Usagi asks me.

"Yeah, I was going to meet a friend. Do you need me to stay here to help you with stuff?"

Usagi starts to smile when I ask that. "Nah, I'm ok. I know how to hold down the fort."

"Where's Zack? Did he leave for the police station?"

"Yeah, he did. He said he won't come back until later tonight." How busy does this guy get?

"Ok then. See you later."

"Bye!" Usagi replied.

* * *

****Time of Day: Noon  
Weather: Sunny  
Place: Moogle Co.- Food Court****

I'm sitting down at a table, waiting for Roxas. I'm making an origami crane while waiting. Since it takes me around 1 minute to make a single crane, and I've made about 30, I've been waiting for Roxas for about 30 minutes.

"Hey Sora!" Roxas comes toward me with his hands behind his back.

"What kept you?"

"That doesn't matter! Look what I found!" Roxas pulls out a katana and a pair of kunai.

"Roxas! Put those away before we get arrested!"

"Don't worry they're-" At that exact moment two cops showed up and handcuffed Roxas.

"Do you know this young man?" one of the cop asked me.

Lie and say you don't know this guy, or say you do and possibly get arrested… Hard decision. Yeah, not really. "Nope, I've never seen him before." Roxas looks at me with a face of pure shock. He was brought into a police car and was driven off to the police station.

At that exact moment, Yuffie showed up. "Why was Roxas just arrested?"

"For being an idiot."

* * *

****Time of Day: Afternoon  
Weather: Sunny  
Place: Destiny Islands Police Dept.****

So Yuffie and I went to the police department to get Roxas. Once they found out everything was a misunderstanding, and that Roxas was an idiot, they let him go. While there we saw Zack and he also told to let them go.

"Geez Sora, you're friend is a complete moron!" Tell me something I don't know. Also, I'm talking to Zack's partner Terra Adachi. "If Zack didn't put his word in on what had happened, Roxas might have actually been arrested!"

"Sorry about that, Terra. I'm also sorry my friend is an idiot," I apologize.

"Can you guys stop calling me that… It's a word I've been hearing every other sentence!" Who cares about what you want Roxas?

"Roxas!" Yuffie lightly yells across the hall. "It's Namine! She's gone missing!"

"Did she tell you this Sora?" Roxas asks me

"Yeah, she told me on the way here."

"Oh, we already know about Namine's disappearance. The Amagi family already told us to go looking for her. Is she your friend?" Terras asks us. Considering he's Zack's partner, of course he would know about this. It is Zack's case. "Do you remember her acting strange before she disappeared? Did she seemed bothered by anything?"

"Yeah, Namine's my best friend." Yuffie answers. "And what do you mean acting strange?"

"Like about the murder at the inn, at the room where Ms. Yamano was murdered." Terra brings up. "She was such a high maintenance woman Namine's mom collapsed from all of the stress from keeping her happy. So, there's that." Terra looks around and puts his head closer to ours, as if he's making sure no one hears. "Listen, some of the guys think she tried to get back at Ms. Yamano to avenge her mom."

"Oh c'mon you guys think Nami's the killer?!" Yuffie interjects

"Woah, relax, it's just a theory!" Terra put his hands up like he's going to stop Yuffie from beating him up. She probably would if they weren't in a police station. "It's just a theory floating around, not made official by the higher ups!"

"Well it's a stupid theory!" Yuffie raises her arms and goes for Terra's neck.

"Yuffie! Now's not the time!" Roxas and I restrain her so she doesn't do anything rash.

We pull her out of the station to make sure another scene doesn't happen.

"Guys. We have to go save Namine." Yuffie says this like she won't do anything else until it's done.

* * *

****Time of Day: ?  
Weather: Foggy  
Place: Mirror World- Princes Namine's Castle of Dreamyness/Stud-Hunting HQ****

_Princess Namine's Castle of Dreamyness/Stud-Hunting HQ_

Out of all the things to name the place, it had to be called that. We enter the Mirror World to look for Namine. We got Donald to find out where a human was, and bring us to that place.

"This place was on the Midnight Reflection, the one Namine ran into. Just why did it have to be named this?" I couldn't agree with you more Yuffie.

We entered the castle. We warned Yuffie not to follow us in, but she wouldn't listen. She really has a one-track mind, doesn't she?

"Donald, is Namine really in there?" I ask him.

"There is no doubt about it, your friend is in there!" Donald says triumphantly.

"Well then, come on!" Yuffie starts to run to the entrance of the castle, and we follow her.

* * *

For a while we were just chasing after Yuffie, killing any Heartless that came across us. Roxas seems to enjoy being useful now that he has his own Persona, but even he makes himself look like an idiot using it sometimes. Like for example, whenever he summons his Persona, he jumps, spins, and punches his tarot card. One time, right before he landed, a small red Heartless with a yellow wizard hat and a cylindrical body hit him with a blast of fire, making him fly back a couple feet.

"She doesn't see them does she?" Roxas asks. "She can't see without her own pair of glasses." At that moment, more Heartless show up. Some are the small black ones I first encountered, but some are like purple pieces of armor, like armored boots and gauntlets with claws on them.

"**PERSONA!"** Roxas and I yell in unison

Izanagi attacks the small ones with lightning, destroying them instantly.

"Great job Sorai!" Donald applauds me.

Roxas' Twilight Thorn attacks the purple boot and gauntlets with its black and white thorns. It causes them to stagger and Izanagi come in for the kill.

"Roxas, you still have a lot to learn." Donald critiques.

"Man, all you give me is crap!" Roxas it's true, so shut up.

* * *

We reach the end of a hall, which has a giant door at the end. The door is designed like ones you'd see in old fashioned castles, really big and really well designed. Behind the door was a ballroom like in _Beauty and the Beast_. There was a balcony up top, pillars underneath it, a really large and ornate window, and a polished floor with round stain glass design of... Namine?

Her eyes are closed and she's in a simple white dress. She's surrounded by circles with pictures in them of what seem to be Paopu Fruits, drawings in her sketchbook, and scenes with her and Yuffie. But it wasn't the beauty of the room that shocked us. What shocked us was that there were two Yuffies! It's not hard to tell which one her Heartless was, as it had pulsing yellow pupils.

"Who the… Who the hell are you?!" Yuffie screams at her copy.

"_Yuffie Satonaka of course."_ The Heartless laughs evilly

"Cut the crap, I'm Yuffie Satonaka you-"

"_And I'm Yuffie Satonaka too_."

"No way, this is totally nuts!"

"_Did you actually hear what Nami said?"_ Roxas and I must have missed something important if she brought something like that up. "_Actually, I don't know if she did. I don't speak skanky whore!" _Ouch. That was one tough burn.

"Hey shut up! My best friend's no whore! And why are you such a bitch?" Yuffie screams at her Heartless.

"_She also thinks she's absolutely hopeless! Man, that's just awesome. And how I_ _find out she thinks I'm so great, even better!"_

"What are you even talking about?" Yuffie has a face of distraught.

"_Namine's so hot and all the guys go after her. They love her. But when I heard Namine is actually jealous of me, HA! I sure do get a kick out of that! Poor old Nami can't do anything without me. She's nothing without me. Because she's nothing more than my personal bitch!"_ The Heartless starts to laugh maniacally.

"No! Just shut up! You're a liar!" Yuffie falls onto her hands and knees. "Stop saying all this! I'M NOTHING LIKE THAT" Oh God. Yuffie just spoke the trigger words.

More maniacal laughter comes from the Heartless. Darkness starts to surround the dark being, engulfing it entirely. From that darkness comes the true form of Yuffie's Heartless. Under it are shadowed female bodies, carrying a golden throne. On top it was a… Dominatrix with a Banana Head? It had a pointy yellow hood on with two eye holes. It had on long yellow gloves and boots, had grey skin, and was wearing a yellow bikini. In it's hand was a long spiked whip and had a long black and tattered cape.

"_I am a Heartless, one's true inner self, the darkness that resides in everyone's souls."_

"**PERSONA!"**

Izanagi attacks with the Keyblade and Twilight Thorn uses his thorn vines to attack from a distance. Yuffie's Heartless attacks us with its whip, but Izanagi blocks it. He was staggered by the attack, so Thorn comes in and uses his thorns to block a second whip attack. The whip goes through the wall of thorns used to block the attack, sending Thorn and Roxas flying back. This is probably because we share the same pain our Personas do.

The Heartless grabs Roxas and Twilight Thorn using its cape and wraps it around them. The Heartless then starts to laugh maniacally. "_I can't believe you guys are still here! I really wish you'd die already. I promise to treat Namine like my little toy doll, one that I can make or believe anything I say!"_

"Let… Let her be…" Yuffie is on the floor, shaking in anxiety and fear.

"Yuffie! Don't let her trick you!" I scream at her.

"_Trick? Why would I trick myself?"_ Once she says that she cracks her whip, making all of us fly back.

"You're the pathetic part of me, aren't you?" Yuffie get up from the ground. "But, that's a part of me too. Isn't that right?" Wait, did Yuffie just resolve her own Heartless?

What are things Roxas and I missing out on? Neither of us gave her a "Just accept it's you" or "Stop being stupid and accept her!" Good job. You're not on Roxas' level.

Once Yuffie stops talking, Yuffie's Heartless clutches its head. "_CUT THE CRAP BITCH! ARE YOU REALLY JUST GOING TO ACCEPT MY EXISTENCE NOW?!"_

The Heartless' grip on Roxas becomes tighter, and it knocks Izanagi backwards. In doing so, I am too.

"SORA!" Yuffie screams.

At that moment when I'm on the ground, I hear Margaret's voice. _"You have obtained a new arcana."_ My vision then flashes to her in the Velvet Room. _"You have the power to wield multiple Personas. It is the Wildcard, O Chosen One"_

I blink and I'm back in Namine's castle. "Switch!" Izanagi disappears. "Red Nocturne!" A small red creature appears floating in the air. It has a cone shaped body, yellow eyes, and a crooked yellow hat.

"Hey what the hell! How come you have another Persona! I want a second one!" You don't get a second one because you weren't the Chosen One. Everyone knows a person with that title get cool perks.

"Incinerate her Red!" At my call, Red Nocturne spins, turns, and then forms a large stream of fire directed toward the cape holding Roxas, burning it instantaneously.

"Roxas!" I yell at him.

"On it Sora!" Roxas calls back.

Thorn then uses its thorn vines to attack the Heartless. The thorns headed toward Yuffie's Heartless are surrounded by Red Nocturne's fire, intensifying the attack's power. With the Heartless in its weakened state, and the thorns and flames working together in unison, the Heartless is defeated, turned into nothing but dark matter. From it, the human form of Heartless Yuffie appeared.

Yuffie hobbles up to her dark doppelganger. "It's true. You're me," Yuffie says. "Even I don't like that part of me, I'm gonna have to accept it in order to save my friend." Yuffie's Heartless flashes a tired grin at her. At that moment blue light surrounds the Heartless. It turns back into its monstrous form, but then is engulfed in even more blue light.

From the light come a large female ninja in yellow garments, it has a black belt on and has black stripes running down its arms. It has black sneakers on, black bronze knuckles, and has a black biker's helmet on. In its hand is a giant shuriken. It looks like the kunai Roxas had earlier, but four of them attached to the same base.

"It's name it Tomoe Gozen. That's my Persona's name." Once she says that Tomoe disappears, and turns into a tarot card. Yuffie turns to us and smiles.

* * *

****Time of Day: Afternoon  
Weather: Sunny  
Place: Moogle Co.- Food Court****

We decided we would go back tomorrow to save Namine because Yuffie lost all of her energy during the fight with her Heartless.

"I'm useless. I can't believe we had to go back on my sake and stopped trying to get to Namine." Tears were falling from Yuffie's eyes

"You're far from useless." I tell her. "I know that when we go to save Namine, we'll need your help."

"Thanks Sora." Yuffie starts to smile again. "As a token of gratitude, let me show you my pet dog!" Yuffie shows a pic of her and a giant white dog with brown ears. "He eats way too much, and he stinks like shit when you give him a bath but… He's the reason I met Namine. He's the one who made our friendship possible." Yuffie smiles into her phone and then starts to look serious.

"Namine… We will save you!"

* * *

****Don't worry, Yuffie will be back to her regular self next chapter, kicking ass and taking names! ****

**Thanks for reading Chapter 3! Make sure to leaves reviews and stuff like that.**


	4. It's Because We're Friends!

**Chapter 4: It's Because We're Friends!**

**Time of Day: ?  
Weather: Foggy  
Place: The Velvet Room**

"Why hello there… Welcome to the Velvet Room," Igor greets me.

"You did an excellent job utilizing the power of the Wild Card," Margaret critiques me. "Quite impressive. I'm glad to see my faith in you has not been misplaced." A tarot card appears in blue light and lands on the closed book in her hand. Margaret opens the book and I see a picture of Yuffie and the card. "In due time, I have no doubt you will master the power of your newly formed bond, the Chariot Arcana." Margaret closes her book and looks up at me. "I must admit, I'm rather curious to see how this power will shape your future."

"Until then, we will enjoy watching your journey," Igor tells me

Everything around me melts into the fog outside.

* * *

****April 18, 2015  
Time of Day: ?  
Weather: Foggy  
Place: Mirror World- Namine's Castle****

"**PERSONA"**

Tomoe Gozen and Izanagi slash through the Heartless in front of us. Twilight Thorn uses spiked lashes to attack Heartless from a distance. Donald stays back, warning us about any strong Heartless coming our way.

Yuffie, Roxas, and I are all fighting fiercely, but Yuffie her Persona Tomoe were the most fierce. At one point Tomoe was knocked back, causing Yuffie to fly back as well and making her glasses fall off. She got up, put her yellow aviators back on, and started became even more determined to fight the Heartless attacking us.

"Yuffie I know that you're fully recovered and you want to save Namine, but don't overexert yourself," I warn her. "If we find Namine with her Heartless, we don't know what we'll have to face!"

"I know, I know!" Yuffie tells me. "But you got one thing wrong, Sora."

"What'd I get wrong?"

"I don't want to save Namine, I _need_ to save her." Yuffie commands Tomoe to attack using her shuriken to attack the hordes of Heartless in front of us. In doing so, she clears the hallway we were in.

At the end of the hallway is a large white door. It's like the door leading into where we fought Yuffie's Heartless, except any designs on it were red. We opened the door, and it's completely white inside. It was reminiscent to the entrance hall to a fancy mansion. There were thick golden pillars on the sides, white pedestals with light blue orbs that lit up the room, and a large staircase with a red carpet. On the ceiling were chandeliers that were lit with blue fire.

"_Oh, my Prince Charmings have finally arrived!"_

At the top of the stairs there was a white throne, and sitting on it was Namine in a white princess gown.

"Namine!" Yuffie starts to run toward her.

Roxas and I hold her back. "Yuffie, that's not her! Remember, that's the one in the Reflection!" I warn her.

"_Oh, are you looking for her?"_ A spotlight shows up and focuses on a birdcage suspended by a chain. Inside was Namine in a white kimono, with her back against on of the bars.

Yuffie's face filled with shock. "Namine! Namine, it's us!"

Namine turns around. Her face is full of despair, but her eyes glimmered with hope once she saw us.

"_You see, I've learned something Yuffie. After so long depending on you being my prince to save me, you let me down."_

"What do you mean?" Yuffie asks the Heartless.

"_I needed you. I was stuck at that stupid inn all the time, and you didn't even think of coming to bring me to another place."_

"But I thought you needed to help your family there!" Yuffie yelled at Namine. She looked at us and tried to say something but no words came out. It must be from the fatigue of being in this world for so long.

"_I wanted to go away with you, someplace far from that wretched town! But now I know that I don't need you!"_ At that moment a chandelier started to fall above Yuffie. I ran towards her to get her out of the way but then at that moment, Margaret in the Velvet Room appeared again.

"Dear guest, thanks entirely to this new bond you have made, you can now summon Personas that of the Chariot Arcana. These Personas are known for their overall strength and power."

The scene with Margaret then went away. I'm back in the castle, knocking Yuffie out of the way of the chandelier. Right before it crushes me, I summon a new Persona.

"Feral Defender!" A large and buff knight in armor appears, replacing Izanagi. It has an oversized shield with a demonic dog face on it. What's odd was that the shield seemed to be growling. Defender raises its shield, and knocks the chandelier away from us to the other side of the room, harming no one

"God that hurt…" The Defender may have stopped the chandelier, but that doesn't mean I still didn't feel any pain.

"Are you okay?" Roxas asks.

"Roxas, you know how this works. I practically just stopped a giant chandelier with my body. So yeah, I'm just great…"

"_Yuffie doesn't care… She won't take me away." _The Heartless starts to talk again.

"Stop it already, that's enough!" Namine screamed. She must have regained some power to scream at her Heartless like that.

"_Historical inn? Innkeeper training? I'm absolutely sick of all of it! I didn't want to be born here, a place where everything has been decided for me! I hate it, I hate it, I hate it!"_

"No! Be quiet, none of this is true! Just please stop it!" Namine begs.

"_I've been waiting so long, just for someone to bring me far away. I'm tired of waiting for so long, I need to be freed now!"_

"Please… I'm begging, just stop!" Namine hugs her legs and put her head on her knees.

"_An old tradition? Pride of the town? None of those mean anything to me! For all I care, the whole place could burn down, and I wouldn't even care!"_

"No! Just stop it! You're not…" Namine struggles to stand up in her cage.

"No, Nami! Please don't say it!" Yuffie warns her.

But Namine didn't hear Yuffie's warning. "You're a liar! You aren't me!"

Heartless Namine started to laugh maniacally. Darkness starts to surround Namine's Heartless, engulfing it entirely. From that darkness emerges the true form of the monster.

Once the darkness disperses, out of it appears a giant white bird with huge wings, in a cage too small for the wings to fit inside it. The bird has a long neck and instead of a beak, it has a face similar to Namine. It even had the same pale blonde hair like hers too. The cage was suspended by a chain on the ceiling and under it was a large chandelier with blue flames on its candles

"_Now do me a favor and BURN!"_ The Heartless sent globes of blue fire at us.

"Izanagi!" Izanagi comes out and uses the Keyblade to block them "Donald, stay back and tell us when it becomes weak!"

"Got it Sora!" Donald replies.

"Go! Tomoe Gozen!" Tomoe threw her shuriken, but was sent back from the pure force of the fireballs' explosions.

"_So you guys are actually going to fight me? Well in that case, don't expect to leave alive and unburnt!"_ The Heartless flapped its wings, sending feathers toward us. The feathers then spontaneously combusted into large blue flames. The fire spread everywhere, creating large walls of fire and engulfing nearly the entire room in blue flames.

"Go, Twilight Thorn!" Thorn sent out its black and white thorn tendrils to the Heartless. They thorns started to spin around, making a black and white twister. "Time for the cherry on top!" At that moment Thorn and a blue and purple orb of energy appeared in Thorns hands. He then threw it at the twister making it explode, But no damage was made. "Seriously? Nothing!"

"Izanagi!" Izanagi used lightning to attack the Heartless. "Dammit…" My attack barely did anything either.

"I'm coming for you Namine!" Yuffie started to run over to her, but she and Tomoe were knocked back by a chandelier.

"_Too bad. I thought Yuffie would save me. But, she didn't. She wasn't my prince at all! I waited FOR SO!"_ Giant pillars of blue flames started to grow around the cage. "_VERY! LONG!" _The fire then started to redirect itself to us.

"Red Nocturne!" Izanagi shatters into blue shards, and then is quickly replaced by the small red creature.

"You're right, maybe Yuffie wasn't your Prince, but is it really all that important!" I started to tell both the Heartless and Namine.

"_What?!"_

"Yuffie came all this way to risk her life to save Namine! Roxas and I came here to help her! That's good enough prove that she really does care! What more could she have done!"

"_I… I'VE HAD ENOUGH!"_ The Heartless spread its wings and tendrils of blue fire grew from the candles. The fire in the room started to become more intense, making it that the only things that weren't engulfed in fire was the carpet we were standing on.

"Yuffie… Please… Just leave…" Namine hugs her legs in fear.

"Namine." Yuffie starts to walk toward Namine's cage. "I won't leave you here. Not now, not ever!" Yuffie's hand formed a fist. "Listen… I have to tell you something. Something very important." Namine looks directly toward Yuffie. "The truth is… I've always been jealous of you!" Namine's eyes become wider. "You had everything Nami. I had nothing. That's why I loved that you depended on me. I had something you didn't have. I liked believing I needed to be there to protect you. It gave me a purpose."

"_Exactly! I can't do anything on my own!"_ The Heartless screamed.

"That's not true!" Yuffie yelled. "You're one of the strongest people I know Namine! You work at the inn and deal with schoolwork! You're even able to deal with Roxas!"

"Hey!" Roxas yells.

"Roxas, shut up. This is a heart to heart conversation," I tell him.

"You want to escape, do it! You can escape that cage whenever you wanted to! Leave there and go wherever you want! You gotta listen to me! I know you can do this!"

"No you're wrong Yuffie!" Namine started to sob. "I can't do anything! I am just a caged bird! One told just to look pretty and know its place! I need someone else to set me free…"

"SO WHAT?!" Yuffie interrupted. "You were scared! There were parts of me I don't want to acknowledge, things I didn't want to know! They don't matter anymore! Listen, we'll always be there for you! That's a promise! Because… Because you're my best friend!"

"_NO! SHUT UP! I SAID STOP!"_ The fire around us grew so large that soot started to fall from the burning ceilings.

Namine's eyes become wider. "Actually… Why… Why was I so afraid of again?" Namine asked herself. Her expression then turned fierce. "I have everything… That I ever need!" At that, Namine pushed on her cage and shattered it. She landed in front of Yuffie and then went to hug her.

"_NO! SHUT UP! STOP TALKING YOU PIECE OF-"_ The Heartless was cut off by Izanagi slashing her with the Keyblade.

"Guys! The Heartless is growing weak now!" Donald yelled.

"You know what that means!" Roxas yells at me.

"Hell yeah! Keep on going Red!" Jack then went to spitting fire at the Heartless, distracting it and making it fly up.

"Thorn! Bash her up!" Roxas told his Persona. Thorn then jumped up and started to punch the Heartless, sending it back toward the ground.

"Yuffie, You're up!" I told her.

"Go! Tomoe Gozen!" Tomoe threw her shuriken at the Heartless, hitting it right in the chest. Tomoe then jumped up, grabbed her shuriken, and started slashing the bird repeatedly. "FINAL BLOW!" Tomoe then kicked the Heartless into the ceiling, causing it to explode into white feathers and black smoke. The human form of the Heartless then appeared in front of Namine.

Namine stares longingly into her doppelganger's golden eyes. "Listen… I'm sorry I didn't acknowledge your existence up until now." Namine grabbed her Heartless' hand. "I did want to escape and leave the town. I did want a Prince Charming to save me, because I thought I was so helpless." She hugged her copy. "You are a part of me."

The Heartless then smiled and nodded its head. Blue light surrounds the Heartless. It turns back to its monstrous form, and then is engulfed by the light.

From the light a appears a masked woman, with completely white skin. The mask looked like that from a masquerade ball, and had a blue fire design on it. There was a white cloth wrapped around her chest, and wrapped around her waist was a long dress-like piece of cloth. She had large white angel wings and blue fire around her hands.

"Konohana Sakuya… That's a pretty name." Namine then collapses onto her knees.

"Nami!" Yuffie comes over to her and grabs her from behind.

"Just a little tired." Namine smiles. "You all came here to save me?"

"Yeah, because just like Yuffie, we're your friends." I smiled at Namine.

Namine got up. "Thank you guys."

"So who's the guy who threw you in here anyway?" Donald asks.

"Huh? Who… No, what are you?" Namine asks.

"I am a duck!" Donald replies

"I'm not following…" Oh Namine… Such an airhead.

"How can you not?" I ask her. "Her just said he's a duck!"

"See, this is why you should just be quiet Donald!" Roxas says. "All you do is cause confusion!"

"We can continue this conversation later! Let's just get Nami back to our world!" Yuffie interrupts.

"You're right, Yuffie, help Namine up and let's go," I tell her.

"Wait! Have Namine wear these glasses so you can see through the fog!" Namine turns around and takes a pair Donald made for her.

"Hey guys, these glasses are great! It even has a nose guard!" Nose guard? Namine turned around and she was wearing the kind of joke glasses that had a large nose and fake mustache.

Yuffie was trying to stifle her laugh, listening to Namine's air-headed comment. "Let me see them for a minute Nami." Yuffie put them on and Namine started laughing like crazy. "Oh God. She's having one of her laughing fits again isn't she." Yuffie put her hands on her hips. "And here I thought she only did those in front of me." Yuffie smiled.

We left the Mirror World and everyone went home.

* * *

****Time of Day: Afternoon  
Weather: Cloudy  
Place: Dojima Residence****

I start to think about how Namine's kidnapping and the two murders. They might be connected, but at the same time they might not be. My phone's Power Rangers ringtone breaks my concentration.

"Hi Yuffie. You brought Namine back home?" I ask her.

"Yeah. Her parents we overjoyed to see her." Yuffie replies.

"Oh yeah, remember that picture you showed me of you and your dog?"

"Yeah?"

"You still haven't explained how that dog let you meet Namine."

"Oh yeah, I forgot about that. I'll just tell you now I guess."

* * *

_****Time of Day: Afternoon  
Weather: Sunny  
Place: Destiny Islands- Beach****_

Man, why does it have to be so hot today? I hate days like this when the air is thick and moist. Mommy always says that hot days are good though, because it means more ice cream! I can totally agree with her on that.

But weather is crampin' up my style! I curl my feet at the soft sand, feeling the, um, what's that word again? Texture, of it underneath my toes. The beach is always a great place to spend some time on days like these. The ocean is really pretty when the sun hits it like that. I breathe, taking in the taste of the chlorine air. I'm so bored! There's nothing to do around here.

Mommy says that sometimes when you're bored, it's when you least expect something cool to happen. I think she was lying, because I can't find anything interesting at the moment!

"Ribbit!"

The sudden croak makes me pause. I slowly revolve my head around. Ooh, it's a frog! It's got a lot of warts, it looks a little moist and dirty too, but I don't care! It's better than just standing at the shoreline watching the lifeless ocean, that's for sure. I just wanna pet it!

I stick my hands out and chase after it as it hops away. This thing is actually pretty fast! I leap into the air ready to catch this thing once and for all until I hit the ground hard. Through a painful daze, I look up to see that stupid frog ribbiting away. Jerk! All I wanted to do was touch it for a bit. I don't think I'll ever be able to look at Kermit the same way ever again.

A slimy tongue scales up my cheek. I quickly turn my head and see a panting dog. It's only about an inch away from my face. I lift my head further to see a blonde girl giving me a perplexed expression.

"Oh, my!" she says. "Are you okay?"

"Don't worry, I'm fine! That wasn't anything for me!" I get up and dust my overalls off. She crouches down and picks up her dog. Aw, isn't that adorable? "Is this your puppy?"

She shakes her head quickly. "No, but I want it to be! It's so cute and fluffy! Here, you hold him!"

She hands me the puppy. It's so cute! I graze my fingers into its soft, orange and white fur. "He really is fluffy! Are you going to keep him?"

She frowns.

"Why the long face?"

"I want to keep it, but when I'm older I won't have time to take care of it. My mommy says so."

That stinks! She shouldn't have to go around moping all day like that. "I know what will cheer you up! Cover your eyes! And no peeking."

She giggles as she sets the dog down and hovers her palms securely over her eyes. I stretch my cheeks, stick my tongue out, and cross my eyes. It's the same face Mommy and Daddy make whenever I'm sad. "Okray, opfhen yor eyesh!" I said through my spread lips.

She reveals her blue pupils and doesn't wait long to burst into fits of laughter. Tears leak from her eyes, she laughs so hard. After what feels like hours, though I'm not complaining, she finally regains her breath.

"That was a funny face!"

I outstretch my hand. "The name's Yuffie!"

She shakes it. "I'm Namine. Pleasure to meet you." She smiles.

"Ooh, can I call you Nami! It can be, like, a little nickname for you!"

She taps her chin. "I've never had a nickname before. Nami, huh? I like it. It's pretty."

"Nami, I have an idea! You said your mommy won't let you have the dog, right? Well, my daddy loves dogs! Maybe if I ask if we can keep him, we can raise him together!"

Her lips twitch into an even wider smile. "Really?"

"Yeah! Come on, let's go back to my place and ask 'im."

She has a sparkle in her eye. Something tells me I've found a true friend.

"Okay."

* * *

"And that's how I met Namine," Yuffie says.

"So does Namine come over to help with the dog any more?" I ask her.

"Occasionally, but not as much. You know, because of the inn."

"Yeah good point. I've never really made any friends before you guys, so having all of you is nice."

"Hm? How come? You're a nice guy."

"It's because my parents and I moved around a lot. They went to a different country and had me stay here so I could stay in one place."

"Aww, that's sad. But at least you have us now!"

"Yeah, I'm grateful for it. Anyway, tomorrow I want to talk to you guys about the murders and Namine's kidnapping, okay?"

"Ok. Anyway, I have to leave to do some chores, so bye!"

"Bye, see you later." I hang up and put down my phone

I go back to thinking about the case. I kinda feel bad for Zack considering he practically does this for a living. Every day he's willing to risk his life for the sake of others, not knowing when each day might be his last. Something tells me I've stepped into his shoes. Namine, the murders, it all just brings an unwelcome churn to my stomach. I'm not exactly one for this kind of excitement, the exhilaration I _should _feel makes me nauseous. And I hate being depended on, yet at the same time, the thought of one of my friends getting hurt through these ordeals is a hazard in my former carefree routine.

If I can take out any positives from my new life it'd be that it does a good job at sucking out any of the lackluster portions that once resided. Now all I have to do is figure out what to do and how to stop it. One questions seems to repeatedly enter my mindframe.

Who's ending up in that place next?

* * *

****Next chapter, our heroes are gonna get a little break. I mean, saving three people in a row really does make a person tired! (Probably) ****

**Anyway, thank you anyone that Favorited, Reviewed, or Followed the story! I'll be seein' you next chapter!**


	5. The Struggle

**Chapter 5: #Struggle**

**Time of Day: ?  
Weather: Foggy  
Place: The Velvet Room**

"Why hello there… Welcome to the Velvet Room," Igor greets me.

"I foresee two Arcana shining brightly in your future," Margaret tells me. "The Moon and the Strength. Soon, you shall form bonds that will give rise to even more new powers. These bond will illuminate the path before you and be your eyes to see the truth."

"Now then, please take care until we meet again," Igor tells me.

Everything around me fades into the fog outside.

* * *

**April 19, 2015  
Time of Day: Noon  
Weather: Sunny  
Place: Destiny High- Class 2-2**

"Hey guys. How's it going?" Yuffie walks into the classroom and asks us.

"Not much," I tell her

"I just failed a Physics exam." Roxas says sadly.

"It's because you didn't study. I would have given you notes." I chide Roxas

"But I was doing something important!" Roxas defends himself.

"What? Trying to beat my high score of 998 on Flappy Bird?" Yuffie asks.

"Like hell I was!" Roxas says back.

"Well whatever it was, it was probably stupid and unnecessary." I tell him.

"But anyway, thanks for the help yesterday guys," Yuffie tells us.

"No problem! But seriously, I'm still tired from all of that." Roxas says

"How is Namine anyway?" I ask

"She's resting at her house. Her parents were ecstatic to see her back home." Yuffie replies.

"But she said she's alright and should come back soon."

"That's good." I tell her.

"Geez, you seem to be back to normal Yuffie." Roxas puts his head and arms on his desk.

"Sora and I have been worn down because of all this. Am I right dude?"

"I'm completely fine actually." I tell him.

"What?!" Roxas sits back up. "What are you guys made of? I've had to use heat pads,

medicines, drinks, and exploiting the massage chairs at Moogle Co.!"

Roxas continued to complain. Yuffie then turned to me. "He has a good point Sora. Have you

ever been in a sports club?" She asks.

"No, I didn't really ever feel like joining any."

"Since, you haven't joined any clubs yet, I think I you can be of help to someone I know." Yuffie smiles.

"What do you mean?" I ask her.

* * *

**Time of Day: Afternoon  
Weather: Sunny  
Place: Destiny High- Gym**

In the center of the gym, two individuals are clashing with blue bats. With every strike at their body, an orb of a specific red or blue color comes flying out. I know these two, it's Hayner and Tidus, the school jocks that talked to me a couple days ago.

Both fight through their perspiration, their will to outdo each other evident. I can't blame them, it's in their competitive drive. In the end, Hayner is the victor. Congrats man, you beat a guy with a club. Woo hoo.

"Hayner! Over here!" Yuffie shouts over the noise of the guys practicing.

Hayner turns his head in our direction and walks toward us. "Hey Yuffie. Isn't that the new guy?" He asked.

"Yeah, and he's here to help the team!" Yuffie tells him.

A smile appears on Hayner's face. "Really?"

"For now, I'm just here to watch. By the way, how did those orbs appear and then just disappear?" I ask him.

"The place we were fighting is fitted with technology specially designed for Struggle," He informs me. "When you're hit by the Struggle Bat, depending on how much damage it did, the more orbs fly out of your body."

"Sweet. I never knew Struggle was like that. Seems interesting." I tell him. "Anyway, what do you need my help for?"

"Our team is going under due to our lack of serious players. Tidus over here is ditching practice to help. So can you please lend a hand?" Hayner asks. He doesn't show it, but I can tell how desperate he is by the way he asks me.

"I might as well. I mean it's not like I'm doing anything else around here."

Hayner's smile grows even wider. "Sweet! Come over here, I'll introduce you to who's here."

"What do you mean? No one else is here." I ask him.

Hayner turns around. He has a shocked look on his face. No one else is there except a small piece of paper with writing on it. "SERIOUSLY?!" Hayner crumples the paper, throws at the corner of the gym, and stomps away into the locker room. I walk over to the piece of paper. It read:

_So yeah Hayner, there was news of a party and yeah. We can't lose the opportunity to party at a club in Okina City. Plus, Tidus is too hard to beat, so we left when he went to take a crap. That, and none of us hadn't gotten any in months because of all of the practices that we keep on having._

_Peace out,_

_Your teammates_

"Geez, those guys are dicks." Yuffie says.

"I couldn't agree more." I tell her.

* * *

**Time of Day: Night  
Weather: Cloudy  
Place: Dojima Residence**

Usagi and I are sitting down in the living room watching TV when the door opens. A smile grows on Usagi's face, and runs to the small foyer where we put our shoes. She then comes back and hides behind my back. I wonder what's with her.

"Hello!" I hear Terra's voice. He walks into the living room and waves to me and Usagi.

"We got off work early, so I brought him here." Then Zack walks in with a bag. It's most likely full of sushi bentos.

The sushi Zack got was good and this time he remembered I liked spicy crab. We talked about things like how school was going for me and if I've heard anything from Namine. Terra also accidentally blurted out some things about the case, for which he received a punch on the head from Zack.

Apparently Zack got Golden Week off, so he could spend time with us. When he said that, Usagi became really excited and talked about making boxed lunches and going on a picnic at Moogle Co. I tried not to laugh too much when she said that.

* * *

**April 20, 2015  
Time of Day: Morning  
Weather: Cloudy  
Place: Destiny High- Hallways**

"Hey, you're the new player on the Struggle team, right?" A girl asks me.

"Hm?" The girl has brown hair that was styled into one large curl. Weird. She also wears a yellow tie and skirt, not the blue tie and skirt that the girls' uniform normally has. "Uh, yeah. My name is Sora."

"My name is Selphie Ebihara. I'm what you can call the Struggle team's manager." She tells me. "I was only assigned this so I could graduate though."

"Ok then. I guess I'll see you next practice." I start walking down the hall when she calls out to me.

"Hey Sora, do you want to come with me to Okina City?" Selphie asks. "I need to buy stuff for the team anyway."

"Can I take up on that offer another day?"

"C'mon! We could hang out afterwards, have some coffee or something."

"Hm… You know what, okay. I'll come with you. I've already learned about old people I don't care about"

Selphie put her thumb up. "Sweet!'

* * *

**Time of Day: Noon  
Weather: Cloudy  
Place: Okina City**

"So when does the fun begin?" I ask Selphie. We're sitting at some posh coffee shop full of hipsters and college art majors. We're having probably one of the most over-expensive drinks I've ever had, and I'm not even having a fun time while drinking said coffee.

"Oh Sora," Selphie says. "The fun started an hour ago!"

"Really?" I ask her. "I must have missed the memo."

"At least we're away from all of that school crap!" Selphie stretches.

"Yeah, you bring up a good point. You know, I've never ditched school before." I tell her. "It's a nice change."

"Seriously?" Selphie drinks her coffee. "You know, you're different than other guys. You're more level headed."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Maybe we should do this again sometime, but after school. I've skipped too many times, which is the reason I have to manage the team."

"So it's like some form of community service?"

"You could put it that way. It's a drag most of the time though."

"That blows. But anyway, sure. I'd do this with you again. It might be fun." I sip my coffee one last time before we head back to the train station

* * *

**April 21, 2015  
Time of Day: Afternoon  
Weather: Cloudy  
Place: Destiny High- Gymnasium**

Hayner, the other guys on the team, and I are stretching before practice. "Selphie's not here? She's like the only reason I come here!" One guy says

"Yeah, me too. She's probably flirting with some guys right now." Another says.

"You know, I heard she has a sugar daddy." A third guy says.

"Well, with that face, that body, and that ass it would-"

"Will you guys just cut it off and be grateful she decided to help us!" Hayner scolds them. "Don't make up a bunch of shit about her!"

"Nah man, it's true I-" The guy was cut off by a 3-inch stiletto flying in the air. We look in the direction it came from and see Selphie with her hands on her hips. She then turns around and walks out of the gym.

"Hey, wait!" Hayner starts walk to her, but she doesn't stop.

"You guys are dicks." I tell everyone. "Except you Hayner. Anyway, I'll go see If I can find her."

"Ok Sora. Just tell her I'm sorry." Hayner tells me.

"Got it." I start to run out the gym.

* * *

**Time of Day: Afternoon  
Weather: Cloudy  
Place: Destiny High- Bike Racks**

"Selphie, come back!" I catch up with her. "Are you okay?"

She smiles. "I'm okay, they're always like that. I'm just happy that Hayner stood up for me like that." She put her hands on her cheeks. "I left so Hayner wouldn't see me all flustered."

"You like him?" I ask her.

Her face turns to shock. "Oh crap, did I just say that." I nod saying yes. "Anyway, now that you know, I might as well tell you why I like him."

She goes onto saying how she knew him forever and he's always nice to her. You know, the cliche story of "I like him, but I don't know if he likes me back since we've been friends since we were babies." Poor girl, being subjected to something like the childhood friend zone

"Maybe I can find out for you." Selphie raised a brow. "I'll ask him if he likes you, and if he does, you can ask him yourself."

A large smile grows on Selphie's face. "Really? You'd do that? For me?"

"Why not? I am your friend." Hopefully this isn't something I'll regret

* * *

**Time of Day: Afternoon  
Weather: Cloudy  
Place: Destiny High- Gymnasium Supply Closet**

"Do you like Selphie?" I ask Hayner. We're putting away all of the struggle bats used and taking inventory on the equipment.

His face shows confusion. "Why are you asking that?"

"It's because how you defended her there."

"Oh, that. Well we have been friends forever, but I've never really thought about it that way." \

"Then who do you like? I promise not to tell. Or laugh. Maybe."

"Really? Let me put it this way. Do you think you can put in a good word for me to your friend Yuffie?"

I start to laugh a little. "Yuffie?

"I thought you said you wouldn't laugh!"

"I'm sorry dude, but I think she's taken."

Hayner's face turns to shock. "By who?!"

The jerk and witty person in me would joke and say I was her boyfriend, and that we're in love, but I knew better. "I'm pretty sure she likes Namine. Honestly, it's probably the reason why she keeps so many guys away from her!" Hayner's face fills with despair. "Hey, I'm just kidding! I doubt Yuffie is into girls." Hayner's face fills with hope.

Hayner finished and put his hand on my shoulder. "Dude, seriously. You _need_ to put in good word for to Yuffie." Hayner took his hand off me. "Anyway, I'll see you later. I gotta get home and do homework.

"See ya." I tell him. Once he's gone I walk to a sports bag in the corner of the room. I open the bag, and see Selphie with a face full of despair. "I'm so sorry Selphie."

* * *

**Time of Day: Afternoon  
Weather: Cloudy  
Place: Destiny High- Rooftops**

"I'm gonna jump!" Selphie attempts to climb up the rooftop fence.

"Don't make a stupid decision Selphie! Just try to find someone else!" I tell her. Selphie finally decides to stop struggling. "Just think about it! There's a serial murder case going on! And we're the only ones up here! Be smart about this! For _my_ sake!"

"I know Yuffie! I'm so much cuter than her!" Wow, talk about conceited. "How does Hayner looks right past me? I worked so hard to look like this!" Worked? I wonder what she means by that. "But he doesn't love me at all!" Tears start to appear on her cheeks. "So what's the point?"

I put my hand on her shoulder. "Look, I can tell this won't be easy for you. But don't just go and throw yourself off of the roof! Think about how your parents will be." Selphie fell to her knees and started to sob. I sat down next to her to comfort her.

After 5 minutes of crying she finally started to talk. "Back when I was little, I was that one fat and ugly girl in the class. My classmates would make fun of me and call me names like "Fatty" or "Piggyhara", so I starved myself to lose weight, treated fashion magazines like bibles, and did a bunch of other crap just to be treated nicely."

"So I get it now. You worked hard to become like this." I tell her.

"Yeah, but I guess it wasn't enough. I did all of this to become cute, and still no one likes me." She puts her face on her knees and starts to cry again.

"Geez, just please stop crying. I'm sure you'll find another guy who likes you."

Selphie looks at me with teary eyes and a red nose. "You're really nice. I wish I'd fallen for someone like you instead of some that looks right past me."

"Uh, thanks I guess." I get up from where I'm sitting. "We should probably head back now."

Selphie grabs my hand. "Hey, how about we start seeing each other?"

"What?" This can't be good.

"C'mon just help me! Until I find the guy I really want to be with, I want you to act like you love me. I'll kill myself if you don't!"

"On second thought, jump," I deadpan. "Soar like a fucking eagle!"

* * *

**April 23, 2015  
Time of Day: Morning  
Weather: Sunny  
Place: Destiny High- Class 2-2**

"Dude you got a girlfriend?" Roxas asks me. "Details please!"

"Selphie Ebihara." I say dreadfully

"My condolences." Roxas says.

"Also, where were you yesterday?" Yuffie asks

"Selphie made me skip and-" The _Jaws _theme starts ringing in my pocket. That can only mean one thing...

"Are you going to pick that up?" Roxas asks.

"Oh… Yeah…" I pick up my phone slowly and see that it's Selphie. "Hellooo?"

"Too slow! I'm your girlfriend and-" Yup, not dealing with that.

"Fighting already, huh?" Yuffie asks.

"I wish." I tell her.

* * *

**April 26, 2015  
Time of Day: Afternoon  
Weather: Cloudy  
Place: Destiny High- Gymnasium**

"Okay guys, listen up!" Hayner got our attention. "I signed us up for a practice game this weekend!" Everyone except me moaned in annoyance. "We haven't been to one in a while, so let's kick ass and take some names!" Everyone replied by saying ok.

"Hey guys!" Roxas walked in with Yuffie.

"Hey Roxas. What are you guys doing here?" I ask him.

"Yuffie here decided to sign up for team manager!" Roxas says.

"Huh?!" Yuffie yells.

"Really?! That'd be great." Hayner's expression went from happy to ecstatic.

Yuffie whispered something to Roxas. I could only get three words from that. I heard Roxas say love, and Yuffie said choke hold. Those are two words you normally don't hear in the same sentence.

"This is great, we could really use the help for the next upcoming match!" Hayner says this, but I can tell he's excited for a different reason.

"I guess I could help out." Yuffie says.

* * *

**Time of Day: Afternoon  
Weather: Cloudy  
Place: Destiny High- Locker Room**

"Hey Sora, I want to tell you something." Hayner walks up to me as I enter the locker room to get my stuff.

"What?" I ask him.

"This is going to be my last game. You see, I come from a big family, and my parents never really approved of the whole Struggle thing. They said it was a waste of time. After this I'm quitting the team."

"Wow, no wonder why you still have faith in the team. I'm sorry for you."

"No, don't be. Just promise me that you'll help me win!"

I smile. "Yeah, sure Hayner! Anything for a friend."

"And one more thing."

"What?"

"You're also going to help me tell Yuffie that I like her!"

I put my hand on his shoulder. "Hayner, I'll help you with things that are _possible_, okay?"

Hayner smiled and laughed. "C'mon you're not at least going to lie and say you'll help me? Some friend you are!" We both laughed and left the locker room.

* * *

**April 29, 2015  
Time of Day: Afternoon  
Weather: Rain  
Place: Destiny High- Gymnasium**

Our team, and the other team are flexing, getting ready for our match. Roxas and Yuffie showed up for support, but then Roxas left to chase a girl from another school. The order of which we go is me, Tidus, two other guys because no one else showed up, then Hayner.

Over by the stage, I see Yuffie and Selphie bickering. "It's hard being a ladies man. isn't it Sora?" Roxas asks me.

"What do you mean by that?" I ask him, but he doesn't tell me anything, he just laughs. I'll ask Yuffie later.

Both Tidus and I won our matches. The two other guys lost because they don't practice for shit. In the final match, Hayner had to win, in order to beat the other school. Hayner's match started, and we couldn't even tell who would win.

When Hayner attacked, the other guy blocked with ease. When the other guy attacked, Hayner dodged and attacked from behind. His only problem was, his attacks weren't as strong as the other guy's, so even if he did hit him, it wouldn't do as much damage if he hit Hayner. That would mean less orbs would burst out.

No one got knocked out of the ring, and it came down to the timer to decide who won. At the end of the match were were given the scores. When we heard the judge of the competition we were devastated

"Destiny High loses by 1 point!"

* * *

**Time of Day: Afternoon  
Weather: Rain  
Place: The Secret Place Restaurant **

"We did our best!" We all said while cheering to the team. Roxas, Yuffie, Hayner, Tidus, Selphie, and I went to a restaurant to eat after the game.

"Sorry we didn't win dude." Tidus apologizes.

"And it was you last game too." I add on.

"Nah guys, it's ok." Hayner smiles. "I've decided to stay. I can't and won't stop on a game that we lost!" Hayner puts his fist up. "So will you guys promise me that you'll help me out till we get to that point?"

"Yeah!" We said back.

* * *

**Time of Day: Afternoon  
Weather: Rain  
Place: Destiny Island Streets**

After we ate we all started to walk home. At one point Selphie came up to me. "Sora, from now on I think I can go on my own for now."

"Huh? What do you mean?" Oh thank God! Finally! I'm only asking this to be kind of course.

"I only needed you around so I could get over being rejected." I still think you're a bitch for that. "At one point I thought I might fall for you." Oh God no. Please God anything but that. "Here, keep these as a memento."

She hands me pictures she forcefully made me take in a photo booth. She tried to kiss me, but then I tried to get her off me so she wouldn't suck my face off. Ugh, I'll be nice and keep these in a place I'll forget about and never look for them.

"From now on, I'll try to be a good manager. And maybe I'll eventually win Hayner over." Selphie smiles and goes up to Hayner. Thank God that's over with.

I stop to turn to my street. "Hey Selphie!"

"Yeah?" She asks

"Good luck!"

She smiles at me. "Thanks Sora!"

* * *

**Chapter 5 is done, and Sora has is done with his well deserved break! Next chapter, we're gonna get back into the swing of things with the whole murder investigation.**

**Thanks for reading, and please, R&amp;R! I love hearing opinions on how my story is!**


	6. Enter Riku Tatsumi

**Chapter 6: Enter Riku Tatsumi**

**Time of Day: ?  
****Weather: Foggy  
****Place: The Velvet Room**

"Oh my," Margaret is sitting at her normal spot, but Igor's nowhere to be seen. "I'm terribly sorry, but the master is currently out." I can see that, Captainess Obvious. Is a captainess even a thing? "But since you are here, hello there and welcome to the Velvet Room." Margaret laughs a little. "I've always wanted to do that. Now, moving on, I congratulate you on obtaining the the Moon and Strength Arcanas."

She opens her book, two blue cards appear, and each falls on its own page. One page shows a picture with Hayner, and the other with Selphie.

"I can only wonder what these two arcana will bring to your future." Margaret closes the book and looks at me. "That's it, please come again when the master is back." A small smile appears on her face. "Or just maybe, you just prefer it more when he's away…"

The Velvet Room fades into the fog outside.

* * *

**May 2, 2015  
****Time of Day: Noon  
****Weather: Cloudy  
****Place: Destiny High- Hallways**

"Hey, is this yours?" I ask.

"Hm? What you want?" The tall guy with long silver hair turned around. He had a black muscle shirt with a red vertical thorn vine in in the center. He wore a grey jacket over it, which meant he was in the Junior class.

"I saw it fall out of your pocket when you took your hand out." I showed him a bunny charm. "Well, is it or not?" It was small, pink, and seemed to be made of felt. He snatched it and left without a word. I wonder why that guy was so quiet and rude about it. I have something like that too, except it's a tiny snowman with a blue hat and matching scarf.

* * *

**Time of Day: Night  
****Weather: Cloudy  
****Place: Dojima Residence**

The night sky was thick with condensation seeping over the town. I watch through the window from inside the Dojima Residence. Usagi and I are eating our dinner without Zack. Again. This guy seriously needs to get some days off. At least he'll be here for Golden Week. "This is good beef."

Usagi smiles. "I know! It's from one of my favorite places to eat!" The phone rings. "Ooh, maybe it's Dad!" She gets up and runs to the phone. "Hello? Yup, we're okay! Mhm… Huh? Oh… I understand." I look over and Usagi's head is down. "You want me to hand it to Sora? Okay."

She walks over to me and gives me the phone. "Hello?" I ask. Usagi walks to her room.

"Hey Sora, it's Zack." Phones chirp in the background along with men wailing out various commands. "Remember how I mentioned about have days off on the 4th and 5th?"

"You can't get any days off, can you?" Must be because of the murders.

"Yeah, I can't." The disappointment in his voice doesn't go unnoticed by me. "One of the rookie detectives got sick, and I have to pick up his slack. It doesn't look like the case he was working on could wait for him to get back, so I'm stuck filling in."

"That sucks." I remember whenever I had to do group work alone when my classmates were sick. It's never fun and you're doing the job of multiple people, so I can sort of see how much work Zack has to do. But probably on a much bigger scale since this is an actual job, not schoolwork.

"Since I don't want her to be alone, can you watch over her and bring her with you and your friends if you go out with them?"

"Yeah, sure. They'll like her."

"Can you be responsible?"

"Yeah? Are you doubting me, Zack?"

"Not doubting you, just trying to be as much of a father that I can be."

"Makes sense. Anyway, I'm going to finish my dinner. See you later."

"Okay," Zack says. "Bye." I hang up the phone. I head into Usagi's room to talk to her. She's at a table drawing a picture.

"Hey, what are you drawing?'" I ask.

"A chocobo." She tells me.

"Really? Those are one of my favorite animals. I've always wanted to race chocobos for a living."

Usagi turns around. "Really? I just think they're cute."

"Yeah, so do I." I stay quiet for a second. "Um, Usagi, about your dad not being able to be with us tomorrow."

"It's ok." She faces me with a sad face. "He's doing his job, and protecting people."

Wow. She's surprisingly mature for someone her age. I grab a small chair sit down next to her. "Maybe tomorrow we can play while your dad isn't here."

A tiny, but visible smile appears on her face. "Really?"

"Yeah," I continue. "It'll be fun. Maybe I can invite some of my friends. They'd like you."

"But I'm only little… Are you sure that they'd be fine with it?"

"Why wouldn't they be fine with it?" I ask

* * *

**May 3, 2015  
****Time of Day: Noon  
****Weather: Sunny  
****Place: Dojima Residence**

"Gooood mornin' Sora!" Yuffie greets me when I open the front door.

"Hey, Yuffie. How's it going?"

"Everything's fine. Are you free today? Me and Namine were just going to hang out, and if you want to balance the gender difference I guess we could invite Roxas too."

"I'll come." Yuffie smiles. "But only if I can bring Usagi."

"Your cousin? I don't think I've met her yet." Yuffie looks behind me to find Usagi. I turn around and she has the whole timid look a lot of little six year-olds have. "So you're Usagi, huh? You want to come with me and your cousin?"

"Well, um, I mean, uhhh…" She looks at me while she stutters.

I smile at her. "C'mon, it'll be fun!"

"A-are you sure?"

Yuffie's smile grows. "Yeah, of course he is! And, you'll have a great time!" Usagi's lips twitch into a smile. "Sooo, can we go now?"

* * *

**Time of Day: Noon  
****Weather: Sunny  
****Place: Moogle Co.- Food Court**

"Ta da!" Roxas brings us styrofoam plates with beef steak and egg on it. "One big steak!"

"Wow!" Usagi's eyes shine with excitement. Roxas continues to give each of us our own steak.

"God, you're so slow, Roxas! Just give me this already!" Yuffie grabs the plates of food Yosuke had in his hands and starts to dig in.

"You may have to chew it a lot," Namine says. "The quality of the steak they use isn't the best."

"Aw c'mon, at least say that when I'm gone!" Roxas complains.

Usagi cuts and eats part of her steak. "I think it's delicious!"

"Ha! At least she likes it!" Roxas smiles. He slouches on a chair next to me.

"Are you off of work yet?" I ask.

"No, I'm just on break. I continue my shift in like 30 minutes." He rips off the red apron he had on. "But seriously, what are you guys doing here at the food court, wasting your Golden Week?"

"There's literally no where else to go!" Yuffie complains.

"Then what about Usagi? Out of all of the places, you bring her here?" Roxas asks.

"I know, I kind of feel bad for her," Namine says.

"There are worse places on Earth!" Roxas complains

"You're just trying to push all of Roxas' buttons, aren't you, Namine?" I ask. We all laugh with the exception of Roxas crossing his arms with a scrunched face.

"Oh yeah, we were supposed to have a picnic with a basket and everything!" Usagi says.

"Who would have made the basket?" Namine asks. "You?"

Usagi points at me. "You would have made the basket?" Yuffie asks, her eyes direct my way.

"Yeah, it would have been fun to do something like that," I tell her.

"It'd probably be better than Yuffie's cooking!" Roxas jokes. "If there's anything more deadly than her kicking, it's her cooking!"

What an asshole. Is he that stupid that he wouldn't be able to figure out what happens next in the script? I can already feel Yuffie's impending fury suffocate me. "What makes you think I don't know how to cook?!" Yuffie punches Roxas and he flies out of his chair.

"You can cook?" I ask.

"Sure I can!" Yuffie says in defense.

Roxas gets up from the floor and gets into his chair. "Then I challenge you to a cooking challenge!" Yuffie leans back with wide eyes. "We will need an impartial person to judge, so that's you job Usagi!"

"Hm?" Usagi looks up from her smoothie.

"I'm pretty good! I might even whip up something even better than your own moth-" Roxas you idiot! Now you just lost more brain cells! "Dude! What the hell was that for!"

I yank him off the ground and distance him a couple feet away where Usagi can't hear him. "Don't mention her mom you idiot!"

"Why not?" he asks.

"Oh my God, you're insufferable! Her mom is _dead_!"

"Oh. Shit dude, sorry about that."

We walked back to the table. All of the girls had confused looks on their faces. "Why'd you punch him, big bro?" Usagi asks.

"My stupidity detector went off and it ended up in Roxas' face," I excuse.

"What was Roxas going to say?" Namine asks. "Was he going to say her mother?" Oh Namine, you should consider yourself lucky you're not a guy right now.

"Oh, I don't have a mom," Usagi says nonchalantly. "She died in an accident."

Namine's face turns from curiosity to remorse. "Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't know."

Usagi smiles. "Why are you sorry?" she asks. "I do fine on my own. I don't have a mom, but I still have a dad, and I also have big bro now!" Aww, thanks Usagi. Now I feel less bad about not punching Namine for that. "Plus, you took me to Moogle Co. today, and it's really fun!"

Yuffie leans in and smiles at Usagi. "Then in that case, whenever you want someone to play with, or just have a fun time with, call any of us, ok?"

"Yeah!" Namine and Roxas synchronize.

Usagi smiles. "Okay, thanks!" This is probably the happiest I've ever seen her in a while.

* * *

**May 5, 2015  
****Time of Day: Night  
****Weather: Clear Skies  
****Place: Dojima Residence**

"Hey, I'm back." Zack walks in through the front door, and plops onto the couch.

"Hi," Usagi and I say back. We were preparing our dinner by heating up the pizza we had earlier for lunch.

"Hey, about the past two days, I'm sorry I couldn't get out of work to be with you guys," Zack apologizes.

"It's okay." Usagi walks to her dad. "I had lots of fun with Big Bro and his friends!"

"Did you really? Thanks again Sora."

"It was no problem. My friends find her adorable." Usagi glances at her dad's legs. I look and I see two Moogle Co. bags. "What's in those bags, Zack?"

"Oh, these?" He picks up the bags. "Well today is May 5th, so I got you guys a little something."

He takes one bag and gives it to Usagi. She opens it and smiles. "A pink shirt, I love pink! And I like the picture on it too!" She shows me the shirt, and it's a cartoon cat on its back playing with a ball of yarn.

I sit down next to Zack. "I also got you something, Sora" He hands me a bag. "I know you're not a kid, but I thought I might as well get something for my favorite nephew."

I open the bag, and it's a shirt like Usagi's, except it's black and has bold, white words on it.

**I'M ALLERGIC TO STUPID PEOPLE**

"So, how do you like it?" Zack asks.

"I love it!" Yuffie would certainly approve of it. Soon after we all ate. I could tell Usagi enjoyed that the three of us were all here, since she told Zack things she's been wanting so fast, Zack actually had to slow her down so he wouldn't get a headache trying to process all of the things she was saying.

* * *

**May 6, 2015  
****Time of Day: Afternoon  
****Weather: Cloudy  
****Place: Moogle Co. Food Court**

"Roxas insisted on us studying together, and now he's passed out drooling on his notes," Yuffie complains. We're studying for some major tests coming up.

"I know right? He better wake up before I start to write on his face." I take out my Sharpie.

I look over at Namine. Judging by her intent, aimless stare, she must be deep in thought. "Now that I think about it, there hasn't been a murder all of Golden Week. It's odd…"

I draw a handlebar mustache on Roxas. "I was just thinking about that a while ago. It's something we need to discuss."

Yuffie draws a dick on Roxas' chin. "Let's think about it, the first victim was Miss Yamano, after that it was Roxas' waifu Larxene, then Namine was the third."

"I'm sure they weren't picked randomly," I write **STUPID** on Roxas' forehead. "There must be a motive."

"A motive?" Namine questions. "I don't see any connections…" She takes out some blue eyeshadow and puts it on Roxas.

Yuffie snaps her fingers. "Wait, I got it!"

"What?" Namine and I ask.

"Larxene found Ms. Yamano's body. But before her death, Ms. Yamano stayed at Amagi Inn right?" Yuffie draws a unibrow on Roxas.

"Yeah?" An idea forms in my head. "Are you saying that the victims were all women that had something to do with Ms. Yamano?" I draw a black eye on Roxas's right eye.

"How would we be able to even prove that?" Namine takes out red lipstick. "I wonder why I haven't thrown this old thing away yet. It went bad a couple days ago." She dabs the lipstick on Roxas's lips and tosses it in the nearest trash bin.

"We'll never be able to prove it unless we piece together the clues we do have." Yuffie draws a cat head on his neck.

"I actually just remembered something," Namine beams. "I remember the doorbell ringing, and someone calling for me, but not who." Namine applies blush to Roxas' cheeks.

"Okay, that's one clue." Yuffie scribbles **FOREVER ALONE** on Roxas' left cheek.

"We really should just check the Midnight Reflection for anymore clues." I draw a monocle on Roxas' left eye.

"Yeah. Anyway, I think we should just call it a day for studying," Yuffie says.

"Okay, we just need to wake up Roxas." I write **PERVY GRANDPA** on his left cheek. "Namine, start recording this on your phone and Yuffie, make train sounds, put your phone flashlight on, and shine the light toward Roxas' face." Yuffie and Namine share a mischievous grin. I grab my textbook and Yuffie starts mimicking an old steam train.

"Wooooh, wooooh!" Yuffie impersonates a whistle, and I slam my book next to Roxas.

He wakes up screaming, and then panics, falling on the ground. It's not long before we erupt with laughter. "Are you getting this Namine?" I whisper to her.

I give Roxas a hand. "Dude, I just had the weirdest dream about trains!" he tells us. "Wait, why is Namine's camera on?" He starts on panic again and we laugh even more.

I take my phone out for a selfie. "Roxas, just look at the camera and smile." I put my arm around him and take a picture of us. I show him the picture and he immediately covers his face. He runs to the bathroom, nearly tripping over himself. I really should feel bad about this, but in a bizarre, twisted kind of way, I really don't. "Honestly, Roxas is a heavy sleeper! Just think if he were drunk?"

As we leave, we can't help but be filled with infectious mirth as we laugh the whole walk home. Except Roxas, of course. It wasn't long before I start to post the picture and video online.

* * *

**May 12, 2015  
****Time of Day: Night  
****Weather: Cloudy  
****Place: Dojima Residence**

"So, how'd you think you did on those tests?" Zack asks me. Over the past 3 days, we took major tests in our class. I don't know how well I did, but I know I did better than Roxas and Yuffie.

"Decent," I deadpan. For once, he was actually home and the three of us were having dinner.

"It doesn't really matter to me if you fail or pass those, but just remember those grade impact your future." Zack tells me.

"I know, I've been told this millions of times." I tell him. "Honestly, you sounded just like my mom for a minute."

"I don't suppose that's a bad thing then."

We continue to eat and watch TV. I notice the silver-haired guy from a couple days ago. He's fighting multiple people coming at him with lead pipes. He's cursing them out and actually punches the camera guy. "Hey I've seen that guy around school before."

"Him?" Zack asks me. "That's Riku Tatsumi."

"You know him?"

"He's sort of a rebel without a cause that gets into fights a lot. He's been to the station multiple times."

"Really?" I ask. "What does his parents do?"

"He only has a mom, his dad died awhile back." That may be one reason he acts so rude, but a lost cause is always more complex than we give them credit for. "His mom runs a shop, and makes decent income. She's quiet and she doesn't seem like the person to mistreat her child and it doesn't seem like they have financial problems either."

"Then I wonder why he acts so mean like that…"

* * *

**May 15, 2015  
****Time of Day: Night  
****Weather: Rainy  
****Place: Dojima Residence**

I close my blinds and an eerie yellow glow emits from my mirror. I look towards it and my eyes freeze, as if I'm caught in a whiplash. The face is slightly cloaked, but this is the same footage from TV. "Riku?" I'll have to tell everyone when I see them tomorrow.

* * *

**May 16, 2015  
****Time of Day: Afternoon  
****Weather: Cloudy  
****Place: Moogle Co. Food Court**

"Looks like my theory of all the victims being women went down the drain," Yuffie sighs.

"That, and I don't see any connection between Ms. Yamano and him," I tell her.

"Riku, huh? He wasn't like this when we were little," Namine tells us.

"You actually knew that creep?" Roxas asks.

"Yeah, his family runs a textile shop," Namine tells us. "The inn has been selling things from them since forever, but I haven't spoken to Riku in years."

"Let's check out the textile shop," I propose. "Maybe we can find more clues there. Riku's most likely the next person going into the Mirror World."

* * *

**Time of Day: Afternoon  
****Weather: Cloudy  
****Place: Tatsumi Textiles**

We walk into the shop and see a black-haired woman in a kimono talking to a boy with short-cut raven hair, a black double-breasted cardigan, and a black casquette hat. The woman in the kimono must be Riku's mom, but she looks so young!

"Well, I'll just be leaving now," the boy says to the woman. He quickly glares at me while he exits the building. Namine and Yuffie go ask the woman some questions, and I remember a scarf that I saw the first time we were in the Mirror World.

"Excuse me!" I hear from the back. "Package for Ms. Rinoa Tatsumi!"

"Yes, I'm coming!" She looks at the girls. "Sorry, but I have to step out for a while."

"It's okay." Namine smiles. "We were just leaving, anyway."

"Okay then, but thanks for stopping by!" Ms. Tatsumi tells us.

We walk out the door, and I see the same short boy talking to Riku. "Shit, it's Riku, hide!" Roxas tells us.

We run behind a couple trees and bushes. We continue to watch them from our hiding spot until Riku leaves and goes inside the shop.

* * *

**Time of Day: Afternoon  
****Weather: Cloudy  
****Place: ****Igirisu No Hato Shrine**

"I heard nothing from that conversation, what about you guys?" I ask. We went to the nearby shrine, which happened to be right in front of the Textile Shop.

"I don't think anyone did Sora," Yuffie tells me.

"Maybe we should just keep watch of the shop," Namine rationalizes. "If the killer is after Riku, he'll either approach him directly, or go to his house."

"Yeah, good idea," I say.

"In that case, Namine should probably give me her number," Roxas says.

Yuffie's lesbian bodyguard instincts turned on. "Wait, why would you need her number Roxas?"

"She's the only Phone number I don't have, and what happens if I need to contact everyone?" Roxas says in defense.

"Yeah right," Yuffie crosses her arms. "Just contact me, and then I'll tell Namine. Also, will you stop sending me dirty jokes late at night? It's starting to get annoying you friggin' perv."

"Anyway, I think tomorrow we should have a steak out," I tell them. "Two of us tail Riku, two of us watch over the shop from here."

* * *

**May 17, 2015  
****Time of Day: Afternoon  
****Weather: Sunny  
****Place: ****Igirisu No Hato Shrine**

"Thank God we weren't the ones that had to tail Riku, huh?" I ask Namine. "Thank God I won the rock, paper, scissors game against Roxas!"

"Yeah!" She returns the smile. "Do you really think the killer's going to come here at this time?"

"I dunno. Aren't you scared?"

"A little. My desire to see this through outweighs it. I'm sure there's something I can do to help."

"Don't stress yourself."

"Yeah, but I guess I'm just a little bit nervous."

"Just ease up. There's always that chance the killer won't show up at all."

"That's not why I'm nervous. It's because I've never been alone with a boy my age before. Yuffie can do it naturally because of her personality. I feel like she has more fun with you and Roxas around."

"I'm sure you're wrong about Yuffie, she cares for you much more than you think. Don't you remember when we saved you, she worked the hardest. And about you and me being alone."

Namine starts to blush. "I'm sorry if I made it awkward."

"It hasn't been awkward for me at all. Just remember that I'm your friend. I won't judge you because you don't have experience with these things."

Namine smiles. "Thanks Sora. I wonder how Yuffie and Roxas are doing on their part of the investigation?" She gets her phone out and calls Yuffie. "No answer. And I don't know Roxas' number, so I can't call him either."

"I actually just realized, I don't have your number either. And Roxas did actually bring up a good point yesterday about having everyone's number."

"Oh yeah, you're right I guess," I hand her my phone. "Wait, you're just going to give me your phone to put my number in? You're not going to try and erase something first?"

"I have nothing to hide. I literally only use my phone for games, and watching anime of Crispytwirl, and calling people."

"Oh, then in that case, here's your phone back."

"Thanks. I promise I won't give it to Roxas."

"Good!" I hear screaming on the road. Namine and I look on both sides, then we see Yuffie and Roxas are running away from Riku.

"Sorry dude, but we brought trouble!" Roxas screams at us.

"Hey Namine, I think we should run." We join the two in running from Riku.

"I said wait up! You're so dead! So freaking dead!" Riku screams at us.

"Dammit, he's going to get us at this rate!" Roxas screams. "Yuffie, now's the time be all 'I'll handle him! You guys keep on going' and shit like that!"

"Huh, why me?"

"Because you could probably kick his balls into oblivion!" Roxas screams.

"Well you have a point there," Yuffie agrees.

"Yuffie, don't listen to him!" Namine tells her.

"I said to stop running from me you- What the Hell?!" Riku was cut off by an electric scooter, being driven by a classmate of mine: Olette.

"I have your order Yuffie!" Oh yeah, her family owns the Secret Place. She said they delivered anywhere. I'm just surprised she'd delivering it to us now! "Two beef bowls, for 1600 Munny!"

Yuffie reaches for her purse. "I'm sorry, do you have change, Olette? I only have 2000 and 1000 Munny bills on me!"

"Are you seriously paying for this now?!" Roxas asks.

Namine grabs her wallet. "Here's 100 munny Yuffie!"

I grab my wallet. "Here's 500 Munny!" I hand it to Yuffie. "Just pay me back!"

Yuffie hands all of the Munny to Olette. "When you're done, just leave the bowls."

"Where would we even leave them?!" Roxas yells.

* * *

**Time of Day: Afternoon  
****Weather: Sunny  
****Place: Destiny Island Streets**

"Okay, so we finally managed to lose him…" God, I'm tired. We stopped running at the end of a small tunnel.

"Is the food good Yuffie?" Namine asks.

"Good? It's delicious!" She tells us. "Here have some. Except Roxas, he didn't help pay."

"What? That's just unfair!" Roxas complains.

"By the way, why was Riku chasing you?" Namine asks.

"Oh, he thought that we were accusing him of being gay," Yuffie answers.

"Why would he think that?" I ask.

"Because Roxas started to stutter and was like 'It's totally not strange that you were hanging out with a dude.' And then he was like '_ARE YOU SAYING I LIKE DUDES?"_ Yuffie mimics a tough and scary guy. "Then when we started to run he started to plead with us saying, 'It's not like that! I swear it isn't! I like chicks!' Then he started to get even more angry when we were start to run even faster."

"Seriously?" Namine asks. "Is he insecure about if he's gay or straight?"

"Possibly," I say. "Or it could just be that he doesn't want us spreading rumors about him being gay." I stretch my arms. "Anyway, I think we should just call it a day. We should get home and relax."

"Wait guys, I actually just remembered something!" Roxas says.

"What?" I ask him.

"It's supposed to rain tonight," he tells us. "We need to watch the Reflection!"

"Maybe we'll find out more stuff," Namine says. "Like what you told me what you saw when I was kidnapped, you saw the princess me being all weird!"

"Then it's settled, we'll all watch the Reflection tonight," I tell them.

"Hey, where should I leave the bowls?" Yuffie asks.

* * *

**Time of Day: Night  
****Weather: Rainy  
****Place: Dojima Residence**

5...

4...

3...

2...

1…

An eerie yellow light emits from my mirror. It shows a door and a bunch of steam or fog on the floor. "Good evening, people of Destiny Islands." The voice is male, but the voice is talking in a very flamboyant way. He sounds like a stereotype gay guy. "Today I'll introduce a superb site for those searching for a sublime love that surpasses the separation of the sexes." Riku appears shirtless and the only thing covering him is a white towel around his waist. He starts to pose in over sexualized ways. "I will be your host, the one and only, Riku Tatsumi!" The picture in the mirror fades away.

What the hell did I just watch?

* * *

**Before I get into anything else, Sora said **"_**The voice is male, but the voice is talking in a very flamboyant way. He sounds like a stereotype gay guy." **_**I know that not all gay people talk that way! That's why I wrote stereotype. Anyway, thanks for reading this chapter. Please review, favorite, or follow the story!**


	7. Welcome to the Steamy Tropical Paradise!

**Chapter 7: ****Welcome to the Steamy Tropical Paradise!**

**Time of Day: ?  
Weather: Foggy  
Place: The Velvet Room**

"Why hello Sora… Welcome back to the Velvet Room," Igor greets me.

"I see you've bonded with a new friend," Margaret informs me. "This has allowed you to now create Personas of the Priestess Arcana." A card appears in blue light above Margaret's book. She opens the book, the card lands on it, and turns into a blue light. When the light diminishes, on one page is a picture of Namine, and the other is a picture of the Priestess Arcana.

"The disaster looming in your future is claiming human lives as it draws even closer," Igor tells me. "But there is nothing to fear, you already posses the power to fight back."

"When you truly need us, the door will open, and we will offer you our assistance." Margaret smiles.

Igor chuckles. "I'm looking forward to it!"

The Velvet Room fades into the fog outside

* * *

**May 18, 2015  
Time of Day: ?  
Weather: Foggy  
Place: The Mirror World**

"Woah." Namine enters through the wall of mirrors Donald made for us a while back. "We really went through the mirror!"

"Oh yeah, this is your first time coming here that way," Yuffie says.

I walk toward Donald and Roxas. "What do you mean you can't trace him anywhere?" Roxas asks Donald.

"My magic tells me that there's another human here, but I can't seem to find out exactly where!" Donald defends, his arms waving frantically. He really needs a chill pill.

"Well, why not?" I ask.

"There's been a ton of stuff going through my mind! Like where'd I come from? Who am I? I can't seem to figure it out!" Donald taps his head with his wand.

"How could you?" Roxas asks. "When I unzipped you, it was just empty."

"Well, what can we do then?" Namine asks. "We won't be able to know where to go without Donald leading the way."

"Do you want to call it quits then?" Roxas asks.

"Of course not!" Yuffie scolds.

"Wait, so we can't?" I ask.

"You too, Sora?" Yuffie faces me with scrunched brows.

"Wait!" Donald claps. That's probably his version of snapping since you can't snap feathers. "Maybe if you get some info on him, or even an item that he's had in his possession for a while, I could use my wand to find him!"

* * *

**Time of Day: Afternoon  
Weather: Sunny  
Place: Tatsumi Textiles**

We enter the textile shop and see Riku's mom rearranging some items. "Finally, we get some shade from the sun!" Yuffie stretches. "To think it'd be this hot in the spring."

"Yeah, I know, right?" I walk toward Ms. Tatsumi. "Um, excuse me you're Riku's mom right?"

She turns around with an expressionless face. Her posture seems to have worsened from the last time we saw her. "Yes, why do you ask?"

"Is he here by any chance?"

A small frown appears on her face. "I'm sorry, but he hasn't been home since yesterday. It's been dangerous out lately, so I told the police."  
"You must be worried." Namine says.

"Indeed. He always leaves without saying a word, but this is the first time he's never come back home." Her face becomes even more saddened.

"That's surprising," Roxas adds. "I thought he'd be out at night fighting or something."

"Don't be rude Roxas!" I warn him.

Ms. Tatsumi chuckles. A bit odd if you ask me, with her looking all depressed. "It's okay. I'll admit, he can be a bit rough sometimes. A while ago, he got into a fight with some delinquents and their motorcycles."

"Are you talking about that obnoxious biker gang?" I ask. "I couldn't get any sleep at all when they were around."

"Neither could I! But, what he did was partially my fault." Ms. Tatsumi looks away from me and blankly stares at a picture of what seems to be a young boy. He has straight, shoulder length black hair, and blue eyes. Could that be Riku when he was younger? "It was because of my complaining about no sleep, Riku got angry. He came home late one night, and the next morning, he was on the news, saying that he defeated an entire gang!"

"So he beat up an entire gang for you?" I ask. "Now he just sounds more like a dedicated son than some punk."

"Um, excuse me?" I turn around and there's a little boy by the door of the shop. "Is that guy with long hair here?"

I walk toward him. "Riku? The one who lives here?"

"Yeah! He fixed my older sister's bunny keychain for me." He takes out of his pocket the same bunny that fell out of Riku's pocket when I first met him. "One time when I borrowed it from her, I lost it. When I was by the beach crying, he came up to me and told me to cheer up."

"Really?" I ask. "What did he do then?"

"He said since I'd lost it, he'd make me a new one. He said to tell my older sis that I was sorry when I gave the new bunny to her. He even made one for me!" He takes out a small blue bunny. It has a struggle bat and a yellow cap on.

"So he made those from scratch?" Roxas asks.

"Can I see it for a minute?" Namine asks the boy.

"Sure."

"Amazing! It doesn't even look handmade!" A look of confusion appears on her face. "I'm not sure why he'd hide such talent…"

"This completely disproves the image the town has for Riku," I say. "What's your name by the way?"

"Me?" The boy looks up with an innocent gleam. "My name's Yuuto."

"Well Yuuto, can we borrow your bunny for a while?" I ask. "We're going to use it to find Riku. That way, you can thank him yourself!"

He smiles. "Really? Okay! Just don't forget to give it back!" He hold out his pinky. "I want a pinky promise!"

I wrap my pinky around his. "Okay!"

* * *

**Time of Day: Afternoon  
Weather: Sunny  
Place: Moogle Co.- Entrance **

"Hey, haven't we seen him in the shop before?" I ask. We were headed back to the mirror we normally use, and we see the raven-haired boy from the textile shop.

He turns around. "So we meet again."

"Yeah," I reply. "What a coincidence."

"Did you hear?" he asks. "Tatsumi has gone into hiding."

"Yeah, we have," Roxas says, entering the conversation. "Come to think of it, what were you and him talking about?"

His expression falters into skepticism. "Why do you need to know?"

"Just curious," Roxas excuses.

"Fair enough." He crosses his arms. "I'll tell you upfront since you seem like you're in a hurry. All I did was ask about his recent activities."

"So it was just small talk?" Yuffie asks.

"Pretty much." He puts his hand on his chin. "But now that I think about it, he was acting a little peculiar."

"Peculiar?" I ask.

"Yes. And I bluntly told him that. That made the color from his face drain."

"He doesn't seem like the type to care," I add

"You can't judge a book by its cover. He might be struggling with some sort of complex." He starts walking toward the exit. "Anyway, I'm heading off."

* * *

**Time of Day: ?  
Weather: Foggy  
Place: The Mirror World- Steamy Paradise Bathhouse**

"Umm, are you sure this is where Riku is?" I ask. "The fog here seems thicker than usual… It's more like steam."

Jazz music starts to play. "_C'mere pussycat…" _A man says in a seductive voice. "_Such well-defined pecs!"_ We hear an amazed man speak. "_There's no need to be scared. Just relax!"_

"W-Wait a sec!" Roxas says. "I don't wanna go in there!"

"Y-Yeah, it seems too dangerous!" I add

"But Riku is in there!" Donald tells us.

"But I seriously don't want to!" Roxas complains. "It's too creepy in there! There's no turning back once we're in!"

"Let's just go in and get it over with." Yuffie and Namine grab Roxas by the ears and drag him toward the entrance.

"Just go inside, I'll catch up." I tell them. "I need to tie my shoes." Hopefully this works...

Namine looks down at my feet. "But they're tied." Dammit Namine.

"Oh. Well, you see…" I start to run away from the bathhouse as fast as I can. "BYE! I'M SORRY ROXAS! NOT REALLY!" God, I have to get the hell out of here!

"What the hell, Sora!" I hear Roxas scream. "Don't leave me here!"

When it's to the point that I can't see them, Tomoe Gozen, Yuffie's Persona, picks me up and brings me back. I can just feel Yuffie's anger coming from her Persona.

"Geez it's hot in here," I complain

"Maybe we should split up! Namine and Yuffie find Riku, and we go home!" Roxas suggests.

"Perfect idea!" I say.

"Like hell it is!" Yuffie butts in. "Just remember we're trying to save Riku here!"

"Ugh, fine!" I tell her. "Riku doesn't seem so bad." As we walk down a hall, it leads to a curtain that reads **COME ON IN!** Oh god I can't wait to leave this place.

We open the curtain, and we see Riku a bath towel. It must be his Heartless. He's doing nothing but making the weirdest poses I can think of. "_My, my. Thank you for your attention! I'm Ri-!"_

"**PERSONA!"** Roxas and I summon Izanagi and Twilight Thorn.

"ATTA-" Yuffie covers my mouth. "What the hell, Yuffie?!"

"Hold on, not so fast!" Namine tells us.

"Like hell! We're going to snap if we stay in here any longer!" Roxas tells them.

Heartless Riku starts to pose even more. "_Thank you for coming to the Suspicious Tropical Paradise! The hot steam is making my heart go wild!"_

"**PERSONA!"** Yuffie summons Tomoe Gozen.

"Hey! Not you too Yuffie!" Donald starts to panic and wave his arms.

"Sorry! He was creeping me out!" Yuffie fake apologizes.

Heartless Riku starts to laugh. "_Since everyone is burning up, let's move on!"_ He makes even more ridiculous poses. "_Time to take the plunge, and enter the Steamy Paradise of Loooove!" _

"Okay, this is bad in more ways than one." Everyone agrees with me.

"It's just like it was with Namine," Yuffie says.

"No way! Mine was nothing like that!" She puts her head down and turns away from us. "Was mine really like this…"

"_Well then, in my hunt for __love, I will press on!_" Shadow Riku starts to run off into the room ahead, separated by another curtain. "_Here I go!"_

"Hold it!" I yell. As soon as he left the room, Heartless of different shapes and sizes appear out of dark blobs. Some look like large rotund purple and blue bodies, and some look like extremely skinny mummies with pulsing yellow eyes and skinny claws for fingers.

"Is this how it was with me?" Namine asks. "That… That… That pisses me off!" She takes out a paper fan and her Arcana appears in blue light. "**PERSONA!"** She shatters the card using the fan, and Konohana Sakuya, her Persona, appears in blazing sapphire flames. "ATTACK!" Blue pillars of fire spew from the ground and destroy crowds of Heartless.

"You're up, Thorn!" Thorn comes in, beats a couple Heartless to black dust, and gets lit on fire by Namine's Persona. Roxas is immediately set on fire. "HEY! DON'T USE FIRE SPELLS SO MUCH WHEN IT'S THIS HOT!"

"Ice 'em, Tomoe!" Tomoe gozen freezes a large group of enemies

"Go get them, Izanagi!" Izanagi throws the keyblade, and it becomes cloaked in electricity while it spins in midair. The keyblade goes through the frozen Heartless, and shatters them into shards of ice. "C'mon! All the Heartless are gone now! We can head into the next room to chase after him!"

We open the curtain, and behind it is a hallway. There are lockers on the sides, and some of them are open, revealing some clothes. At the end of the hall is a set of large wooden double doors. Splattered in blue and pink paint reads **Welcome to Steamy Paradise!** on them.

"This most likely is where the real Riku is," I tell them. "C'mon, let's go inside!" We all stand still.

"I thought we were going inside?" Donald asks.

"Well, we will eventually go inside." I tell him.

"What do you mean eventually?" Yuffie asks.

"I think you know why we're just standing here, Yuffie," Roxas says.

"Let's just go in," Namine tells us. "If we get this over with now, we can leave."

"I dunno…" I trail. "I mean, what happens if we see something so terrible, it could mentally scar us for life?" Everyone is silent.

"Ugh, fine!" Donald walks past the 4 of us. "I'll open the door!"

"Please just wait a couple more minutes!" My plea was disregarded, and the doors open.

Once the door opened, we were presented with the weirdest thing I've ever seen in my life. "Cut it out, you bastard!" Riku screams at his Heartless while on top of it.

"_You're soooo rough! And I love it!"_

"WILL YOU JUST SHUT THE FUCK UP!" Riku's temper rises.

"That's just messed up," I say to Riku. Everyone agrees.

"Wha- You people? Why the hell are you guys here?!" he screams at us.

"Um, uh, we came to save you…" I say

"Why the hell do you sound so unmotivated then?!"

"_Oopsy daisy!"_ The Heartless pushed Riku off him and got back up. He started to do more weird poses. "_I won't let you interfere! Hmph!"_ He clapped and liquid overflows from the large wooden bathtubs at the side of the room.

"What's this supposed to do, slow us down?" Yuffie begins to run at the Heartless, but slips on the liquid. Namine attempts to grab her before she falls, but falls with Yuffie.

"Are you guys okay?" I ask.

"What is this stuff?" Yuffie asks. "This isn't water, it's all slimy!" she attempts to get up using her hands, but then her hands immediately slip in the liquid.

"It's so gross! I can't even get up." Namine tries the same, but falls on her butt. Namine and Yuffie are just slipping and getting the liquid all over their bodies.

"Sora, do you have your phone on you?" Roxas asks.

"Hm? Why are you- Ohhhhh. I do!" I reach in my pocket for my phone. I turn it on, and the screen stays black. "Shit it's dead, do you have yours?"

"I lost it."

"Dammit Roxas, we could have made so much money selling a video like this to guys at the school."

"WHO SAID TO RECORD THIS! HELP US US YOU STUPID PERVY BASTARDS! ACTING ALL HOMOPHOBIC LEAVING ALL THE FREAKIN' WORK TO US, AND NOW WE'RE ON THE GODDAMN FLOOR, AND YOU WON'T EVEN FUCKING HELP US UP?!" Yuffie continued to scream at us. Her rage was so strong, the temperature in the room skyrocketed.

"_Why don't you just cut the act already hun?"_ The Heartless asks Riku

"Bastard!" Riku screams at him.

"_What's wrong with just saying what you like to do?"_ The Heartless asks. "_I'm the kind of person you want to be."_

"Hell no!"

"Don't listen to him. Riku!" Roxas yells. A circle of blue flames appear around him. He prepares to jump to smash his arcana card, but slips and falls.

"Roxas! I'll get you!" Donald goes to run toward Roxas, but slips and slides forward toward me.

"Donald, watch out!" I tell him. I try to get out of the way, but then I slip.

"SERVES YOU RIGHT YOU FUCKING JACKASSES!" Yuffie screams.

"_Oh how I hate girls."_ Heartless Riku continues. "_They look at me and they're all like 'You like to sew? That's gay!' or even worse 'Making dolls? How unmanly!"_

"Bitch, if you don't shut up…" Riku slowly falls to his knees.

Heartless Riku mimics a girl's voice and put his hand on Riku's shoulders. "_But you're a man! Why don't you act like a guy? Why aren't you manly?"_ He begins to pose again. "_What does it even mean to be manly? Girls are so scary."_

"I ain't scared of them!" Riku retaliates.

"_Men are sooo much better! They'd never say those awful things. Yes, I vastly prefer men!" _

"SHUT UP YOU BASTARD! I'M NOTHING LIKE YOU!" Dammit, Riku said the forbidden words.

Heartless Riku starts to laugh. "_You're me, and there's no denying it!"_

Darkness starts to surround the Heartless. Riku backs away from his dark copy. More darkness engulfs Riku's Heartless and forms a black swirling ball of darkness. Purple electricity appears around the ball then explodes. The shockwave sends us flying back to the entrance of the room.

We get up, and run back to the front of the room. We see the true form of the Heartless. It's a large and bulky muscular body. One side of it is black, and the other is white. On its back and shoulder are piles of blood red roses and where its head would be, is the shirtless upper body of Heartless Riku. He has a simple black blindfold on, and on its chest is a Heartless symbol. The black and white lower body is holding 2 Symbols of Mars, one in each hand.

"_I am a shadow... The true self... I'm just being true to myself... And that's why... I'll get rid of anything in my way!"_ The Heartless smashes the Mars Symbols into the ground. Purple lighting appears and shocks Riku. He falls to the ground, smoke rising from his unconscious body.

"**PERSONA!"** We scream in unison. Our Personas dash toward the Heartless. Tomoe rushes in with a kick, but then is stopped by a large muscular black and white man that has a Heartless symbol on its chest.

He makes a weird pose like Heartless Riku. "_Hey! Come on, baby!" _God, these Heartless are a bunch of weirdos!

"W-what the hell?!" Yuffie yells.

Sakuya sends a blue fireball at Riku's Heartless. Then another copy of the same Heartless appears and is engulfed by the blue flames. "_Oh, niiiice!"_

"No way!" Namine says.

"Go Izanagi!" Izanagi rushes the Heartless, and one of the weirdos grab him.

"_My, my! What a stud!"_ The weirdo says.

"S-switch!" Izanagi bursts into blue light, and my arcana card appears. "Rakshasa!" A man in purple armor appears in blue light. He has a katana in each hand, and as long raven-colored hair. "Head for Heartless Riku!"

Rakshasa runs across the room next to Twilight Thorn, and then gets caught in a bear hug from one of the weirdo Heartless. "_Hold Daddy tight boys!"_

"S-Swi-" One of the Weirdos lands behind us. He smiles creepily at us, and puts his hands on mine and Roxas' shoulders. My body slowly becomes weaker. "I'm down… Take it from here girls…" Everything fades to darkness.

* * *

**Time of Day: ?  
Weather: Foggy  
Place: The Velvet Room**

I open my eyes and I'm in the Velvet Room. In front of me is Margaret and Igor. "Why am I here?! I need to go back and help my friends!"

"And you will," Igor tells me. "The time has finally come for you to truly awaken your Wild Card's power." He grins, raises his hand, and 2 arcana cards appear in blue light.

The Velvet Room fades into the fog outside.

* * *

**Time of Day: ?  
Weather: Foggy  
Place: The Mirror World- Steamy Paradise Bathhouse**

The fog from the Velvet Room disappears, and I'm back in the bathhouse. I get up from the ground, and raise my right hand. The Priestess Arcana appears on my right, and the Magician Arcana on my left. A large circle of blue light appears under me. In the middle was the outline of a crown. I raise my arms and powerful winds make a cyclone around me. The light from the two cards intensify. I cross my arms, and the two cards smash into each other!

A giant eight-headed green serpent appeared behind me. "Woah… Just, woah." I hear Roxas say.

"You fused the Personas?" Namine asks.

"Hydra!" The serpent roars. I point at the enemy Heartless. "Sic 'em!" Two of the head extend their necks and wrap around the 2 Weirdo Heartless. "Roxas, get Riku!" I point toward Riku in the front of the room. He moves a little, but not to the point that I think he's trying to get up.

"Okay! Thorn, get Riku back here!" Roxas sends Thorn over to Riku.

Heartless Riku prepares another attack. "Not so fast!" I scream. The Hydra blows powerful winds at the Heartless and freezes it. Thorn then successfully brought Riku to us and put him behind me.

"Hey Riku," I call him.

He looks up and I show him Yuuto's bunny. "Hey, isn't that…"

"Yeah, it's the bunny you made for Yuuto. You did make it if I'm not mistaken."

"What? Got a problem with that?" Really, trying to be tough after all this shit going down?

"Nah, if anything, I think it's pretty cool." He looks up at me with a surprised face.

"I think it looks cute!" Namine adds. Yuffie and Roxas agree with her.

"_I-I-It's cute?!" _We hear the Heartless say. "_It's super-duper cute! I love anything cute! It's so goddamn fluffy you would freaking die from diabetes because of how sweet it is!"_ Purple lighting strikes the frozen Heartless, and shatters the ice encasing it.

Riku gets up and starts to walk up to his dark copy. I hand him the bunny, and he clenches it tightly. "_You're so persistent!"_ His Heartless says.

"Yeah…" Riku replies. "That's right."

"_What's right?"_

Riku starts to run at his Heartless. "I LOVE CUTE STUFF AND SHIT LIKE THAT!" He punches his Heartless with the fist that was clenching the bunny.

"_Ooh baby! So rough!"_ The Heartless flies back, and dissipates into a mist of darkness and roses. At the same time, the Weirdo Heartless explode into dark mist and pink confetti.

I take off my glasses and clean them. "Um, did you just defeat your own Heartless?" I ask.

Riku turns to us. "Um, thanks for not being jerks who think what I make is girly."

I grin at him and put my hands behind my head. The dark mist from Riku's Heartless completely fades away. What's left is the version that we first met. But this time, thank God, he's wearing the same clothes as Riku, not that bath towel.

As he walks toward us, dark shards and black wisps coming from its body rise into the sky. "_Won't someone, anyone just accept me?!" _He runs at us with open arms.

"I said to stop doing that!" Riku yells. "The mere thought of you being me, makes me sick." He put his hand on his dark copy's shoulder. "It ain't just about men or women. I'm just scared shitless of getting rejected. I'm a total pansy that tries to get everyone to hate me!" He takes his hand and put it in a fist. "You're me, and I'm you, you crazy piece of shit weirdo!"

His Heartless smiles, and glows with blue light. The light becomes stronger, and then the sound of shattering glass resonates around the room. The light grows dimmer, and Riku's Persona is revealed.

His a large black muscular body with a heart shaped hole in its torso. It has two pairs of crooked antennae on its head, one pair starts out thin, but then thins out to the width of the other pair. The Persona has small yellow eyes, and and a large grin with sharp teeth. It has tattered bandages wrapped around it's body, most notably in an **X **over its mouth and on its chest. There are purple veins all over the body, and has no legs, just a tail. In the Persona's right hand is a sword with a demonic looking eye above the grip, and a purple and red blade that looks like a demonic wing.

The Persona then turns into blue light, and then into its Arcana form. Riku puts his hand out, his card lands on it, and disappears. Riku falls onto his knees.

"Hey, you okay?" I ask as we walk toward him. He just smiles as he looks as the small bunny in his hand.

* * *

**Time of Day: Night  
Weather: Cloudy  
Place: Dojima Residence**

"So Terra told me you were hanging around the Textile Shop." Zack tells me. The three of us were eating dinner. "What were you doing there?"

Terra? Why was he… "Namine took me there to see it."

Zack looks at me with an extremely serious face. "You're not getting into any funny business, are you?" I look Zack straight in the eyes.

"Are you two fighting?" Usagi looks at us with a sad look on her face.

"No, we're just talking." Zack tells her.

"Really?" She asks

"Yeah," I tell her. I look down at my food and continue to eat.

* * *

**Hopefully no one was offended by the way Riku and those Heartless acted… **

**Anyway, thanks for reading this chapter. R&amp;R please!**


	8. Yuffie and Namine Suck at Cooking

**Chapter 8: ****Yuffie and Namine Suck at Cooking**

**Time of Day: ?  
****Weather: Foggy  
****Place: The Velvet Room**

"Welcome to the Velvet Room," Margaret greets me. "I'm afraid Master Igor is not here today." She smirks. "Or did you perchance intentionally come here while he's out?"

I smile back. "It's called a coincidence, lady."

A card appears in blue light above Margaret's book. She opens it, and the card lands on it, bursting into a small blue light. Margaret opens the book, and on one page I see a picture of Riku, and the other, an arcana card.

"I see you have obtained yet another Arcana, the Emperor," Margaret tells me. "I wonder just how far your unparalleled Persona's abilities will evolve." She looks at me and smiles. "I daresay, you have piqued my curiosity."

The Velvet Room fades into the fog outside

* * *

**June 13, 2015  
****Time of Day: Afternoon  
****Weather: Cloudy  
****Place: Destiny High- Rooftops**

Yuffie slurps her noodles obnoxiously. "How were you even able to have hot water at school Sora?"

"I just bought a couple thermoses full 'em," I tell her. "We had a couple at my house."

Namine and Yuffie continue to talk to each other. "Psst," I look toward Roxas. "Doesn't this rock?" He asks.

"What?"

"Summer clothes!" Roxas peers at the girls.

"Seriously dude?" I ask him.

"What are you talking about?" Namine asks.

"Summer clothes!" Roxas replies happily.

Yuffie scowls. "You have a perverted look in your face."

"You do sound like a creep," I tell him. "At least try not to act like one."

"Whatever!" Roxas yells back.

"Anyway, I think we all need to watch the Reflection every night," I tell everyone. "It's supposed to be raining more frequently."

"I heard it's supposed to rain a ton," Namine says. "I hope it doesn't rain this weekend."

"Hm? Why's that?" I ask her.

"You didn't know Sora?" Yuffie asks. "It's the school camping trip!"

* * *

**June 16, 2015- **_**The day before the school camping trip  
**_**Time of Day: Afternoon  
****Weather: Sunny  
****Place: Moogle Co.- Produce Section**

"So each team has to prepare their own meals?" I ask

"Yup!" Yuffie replies. "We've always been with people who can cook, so me and Namine are going to handle the cooking."

"What should we cook then?" Roxas asks.

"I was debating between a stew, or pasta," Namine tells us.

"I'd go with the stew," I tell her.

"Stew sounds good." Roxas adds.

"Anyway, what do we do on the trip?" I ask. We walk around as Namine searched for ingredients.

"We just pick up trash on the beaches and the forest in the afternoon." Yuffie grabs potatoes that Namine hand her and puts them in our cart.

"What, seriously?" Roxas asks. "No one told me that!"

"Well, the other stuff is kinda fun," Yuffie tells him. "We get to cook outside and sleep in tents by the beach."

"I'm guessing even though we're a team, girls and guys sleep in different tents. Am I right?" I ask.

"Yeah. So don't get too excited Roxas," Yuffie tells him.

"I don't know what you mean by that, but I feel like I should be offended," Roxas tells her.

"After we're done picking up trash, we get to do stuff at the beach, so it's not entirely bad." Namine puts beef in our cart.

"Sweet. Hey Roxas where are the-" I turn around and Roxas was gone. "Where'd he go?"

"Why do you need him?" Yuffie asks.

"I don't have swim trunks."

"Seriously?" Yuffie has a surprised look on her face.

"The only swimming I've done is in gym class, and they only lent us some to use. All of the places I lived at were no where near the ocean." I shrug. "Do you mind if I head off and find some to buy?"

"Not at all. With Namine helping me cook, I'm sure we'll be fine. Her family does cook for people all the time, so I'm sure they've taught her."

"By the way, what are we going to wear? I'm pretty sure that a polo shirt and dress pants aren't made for the forest."

"Oh, we can just wear whatever. Normally they'd give us something sorta like a track suit, but I think the school is being less restrictive this year."

* * *

**June 17, 2015- **_**School Camping Trip Day 1  
**_**Time of Day: Noon  
****Weather: Cloudy  
****Place: Beachside Forest- Camping Ground**

"ROXAS!" I hear Yuffie scream. I track the destination of her voice and I see Roxas on the ground, foaming by the mouth.

"What happened?" I ask Roxas. He still seems to be conscious, so that's good. I think.

"Mo-mo-mos…" Roxas attempts to talk.

"What'd you say? Mosquitos?" I ask.

"W-w-w-wo…"

"Worms? Did you say worms?

"Mosquitos and worms?" Yuffie asks. "We didn't put any of those in the stew."

"What was in that stew?" I get up and lie Roxas on the table. I head toward the cooking pot the girls used to cook. I don't even want to- Ugh, oh my God. I think I'm staring into hell. The stew smells _waaayyy_ too spicy. I take the ladle and mix the contents of the pot. It's chunky and thick like unhealthy mounds of syrup and its color alters constantly, from blood red to muddy puddle.

"Why don't you try it Sora?" Namine asks.

What did she just say? "Um, yeah sure. I'll get my bowl." I grab a bowl and head toward the pot. My hand slowly inches toward the ladle. Then it hits me. I quickly push the pot off the table, spilling its contents onto the ground. Even the ants on the ground left the area when the food landed on the ground.

"Sora, what the hell!" Namine screams.

"I'm not dying anytime soon! That shit's freaking dangerous!" I scream back.

Yuffie suddenly became interested in her sneakers. "But we put so much love into it…"

"The only love in that thing was love from Satan himself!" We hear heavy coughing from our table. Looks like Roxas came back to life. "Listen, I'm going to bring Roxas to the Medical Tent. You two, just don't make any food. _None_!"

* * *

I pick up Roxas, who's slowly gaining the ability to walk again, to get something for his stomach. We head toward the medical tent and I see a boy with blonde hair and a black beanie on. "Hey, can I get something for my friend here? He ate something bad."

The boy has a scowl on his face when he sees me and Roxas. He turns around and grabs a small bottle of antacids. He hands me them. "Thanks, um…" I see a name tag on his chest. _Seifer Konishi_. Larxene had a brother? "Thanks Seifer."

He directs his attention to his phone. "Whatever."

I bring Roxas back to the outdoor cafeteria to sit. He seems in a much better state after taking the pills. "That was Larxene's brother." Roxas drinks more water.

"Yeah, I saw his name tag."

"We talked a couple times when I was with her. A friend told me he's been alone a lot since the murder."

"Hey you guys!" Roxas and I turn to the left. We see Riku waving at us behind a tree. "Over here!" We walk towards him. "So I heard the girls nearly killed you."

"Practically, yes," Roxas tells him. "Anyway, why are you making us follow you?"

"The girls ordered food. See?" Riku points at Yuffie and Namine taking bowls from Olette.

"So Olette's place was able to bring orders here?" I ask. "So they really do deliver everywhere."

"We should probably eat up before our teachers find us," Riku says.

"Come to think of it, why are you here Riku?" I ask him.

"My teachers threatened to hold me back a year if I skipped the trip." Riku sits down and starts to eat from his bowl. "It's also super quiet at the junior tents. It's like someone died there."

"It's probably only like that because you're around," Yuffie tells him.

"I could care less. You guys are much more interesting anyway," Riku says.

"Hey Riku, do you know Seifer Konishi?" I ask him.

"Seifer, huh? Sure I know him. We used to be friends," Riku says. "We used to hang out as kids, but we grew apart."

"Is it true he's always being left out?" I ask.

"I dunno."

"How come?" I ask.

"It's 'cause I don't share any classes with him. He's a Sophomore like you guys."

"Thanks for the help." Roxas says sarcastically.

"Excuse me?" Riku asks. "Like you do much around here." Riku gets up from the ground

"You're done already?" I ask.

"I'll be back," Riku tells us. "Just don't touch my food or else you're gonna have a bad time."

About 5 minutes later, Riku comes back. And he's also dragging Seifer by the collar to us. "Riku, what the hell?! Let me go!" Seifer complains.

"Well, here he is." Riku lets go of his captive's collar, and shoves him forward. "If you want to learn more about him, just ask him directly."

"What do you mean?" Seifer asks. "If you wanted to ask me something, do it yourself and not have Riku drag me here you buncha chicken wusses!" Chicken wusses? Really?

"Well we wanted to ask you, um, uh…" Roxas tries to form a question.

"Are you being left out in class?" I ask.

"That was a bit too direct Sora!" Namine tells me.

"So?" I ask her. What's the use in delaying a good opportunity when you could just get straight to the point? I always take situations head on. Otherwise, we'd be scrapping for answers all day.

To my surprise, Seifer lets out a small laugh. "That's the first time someone's asked me that straight to my face. It's actually refreshing for a change." He crosses his arms. "It's true. Honestly, I feel left out. Even my friends Fuu and Rai are distant from me. People have always been babying me, and it's startin' to get on my nerves! Sometimes I have to skip school to keep the reporters away from my parents. It gets in the way of running the liquor store."

"I know how you feel," Namine says. "I have to do it all the time. They always come whenever there's nothing newsworthy happening."

"Yeah, same here." Seifer adds. "Sometimes when my neighbors come over to help at the shop, they always come to me. They always tell me to live my life to the fullest for my older sis. Then they start to bawl, which makes everything super awkward for me. It's suffocating."

I grab one of the food containers and hand it to Seifer. "It's yours if you want it."

"Huh? Food from the Secret Place?" Seifer asks. "You sure? That place is my favorite!"

"Hey! Those are my seconds!" Riku yells as Roxas and Yuffie hold him back.

* * *

After eating, we all headed back to the Sophomore tents. "Hey, sorry for acting like a jerk back at the medical tent," Seifer apologizes. "I feel a bit better after talking with you guys. Let's hang out again in the future."

"Sure!" I answer him.

"Thanks," Seifer tells me. "Anyway, I have to get back to the medical tents, so see you guys later." Seifer walks away.

"Sora." Roxas says to me seriously.

"Yeah?" I ask.

"We gotta catch the culprit." He tells me.

"Definitely." Everyone nods in agreement.

* * *

Later, we were told to pick up trash by the beach. This sounds like a perfect time to discuss the case! "So, Riku's incident disproved out idea that all of the victims would be women." I pick up a can and put it in my trash bag.

"Maybe we're overlooking something," Yuffie adds. "I can't really think of any other connection."

"Well we need to come up with something, anything!" Roxas says.

"Oh yeah," Riku says. "My mom told me after Councilman Eraqus got fired, he came back here and inherited his family's business."

"I heard that too," Namine says. "Isn't he a deliveryman now?"

"Didn't he have a fling with Ms. Yamano?" Roxas asks. "That's probably why he got kicked off the council."

"Didn't he have an alibi?" Yuffie asks.

"He doesn't seem like our guy." I pick up an old newspaper and throw it in my trash bag. "Anything else?"

"I actually just thought of something!" Namine snaps her finger. "Remember how Ms. Yamano appeared on the news over her affair? And Larxene was on the news as the one who found the body."

"Wait a sec, weren't you interviewed too Namine?" I ask.

"Yup." We all start to huddle in a circle so we won't be overheard.

"And Riku was on TV for beating up that biker gang!" I add.

"Yeah, what about it?" He asks.

"So that means everyone was on TV before they vanished," I tell everyone. "I don't think it was a coincidence. But why do they appear on a mirror? Why not a TV instead? It would make much more sense if the victims were shown on TV…"

"Details, Details!" Roxas says. "What matters is that we found out a way to find out who the next victim is!"

"Yeah!" Yuffie smiles. "So that means the culprit is going to go after the next person featured on TV!"

"It's highly likely," I say. "Looks like we'll need to watch both the news and the Midnight Reflection everyday. Our only problem is that we don't know what the next motive of the culprit is." We all sigh.

"WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU GODDAMN SLACKERS ARE DOING?!" I turn to my left and I see our teacher Vexen stomping toward us. We break apart as soon as he gets close. "Quit yer yappin' and pick up the damn trash!"

* * *

_**Day 1 of School Camping Trip  
**_**Time: Night  
****Weather: Clear Skies**

The tension in our tent was rising, as I, Riku, and Roxas tried to sleep. I was on one side, Roxas on the other, and Riku in the middle. Roxas and I were trying to keep as much distance as we could away from Riku.

"So do you really swing that way?" Roxas asks Riku.

"What way?"

"Considering our situation, I'd like you to be honest with us."

"No."

"There are things in this world, I wish not to try," I tell him.

"Wh-What the hell?!" Riku sits up. "I've had about enough crap from you guys! Let it go already!"

Roxas sits up. "Then why are you so touchy about it?!"

I sit up. "It does make you seem a bit more suspicious."

"Like hell it does!" Riku retorts.

"You know what they say, all good friendships are based off of honesty, right?" Roxas says.

"Sleeping next to you does take courage," I tell him.

"C'mon! I like cute things, so what?!" Riku asks. "I thought you guys accepted me?"

"Just setting some boundaries," I tell him.

"Whatever!" Riku kneels and makes a fist. "In that case, I'm going to go to the girls' tent! They have more balls than you guys!"

"For some girls, that's true," I tell him. "But, you'll get into too much trouble if you're caught."

"Don't underestimate Riku Motherfuckin' Tatsumi!" Riku charges out of the tent and heads over to Yuffie's and Namine's tent.

"What now?" Roxas asks.

I turn our lamp on and take out some cards. "Wanna play some Blackjack while we wait for him to come back?"

* * *

"It's been ten minutes." Roxas says. "I wonder how Riku is doing." At that moment, Yuffie and Namine walk into our tent.

"Hey," Yuffie says. "How's it hanging?"

"What are you two doing here?" I ask. "Actually, what happened to Riku?"

"He's probably unconsciously cuddling with a snoring Selphie," Namine says. "Honestly, she snores so loud, we could barely get any sleep!"

"The point is, we're not going back to our tent anytime soon." Yuffie tells us. "One, it's too crowded, and two, Selphie's snores are way too loud."

"If I had my my rotten shit lisht-" We hear someone slur and hiccup.

"It's Vexen!" Yuffie warns us. She turns off our light. "Hide in the sleeping bags!"

We all panic, and Roxas ends up with Yuffie in his bag, and Namine in mine.

"Roxas, you're too close!" I hear Yuffie whisper.

"Keep quiet! And don't complain, you're the one lying on me!" Roxas tells her

"Namine! You're squeezing too hard!" Namine was squeezing me like her life depended on it.

"Hey!" I hear Vexen slur. "You ashleep in there? You better friggin' answer if you're in there!"

I tried to sound as sleepy as possible. "Huh? Wha- We're asleep…"

"No you're not!" He yells at us. "Shut the hell up and go to-" He hiccups again."-sleep! Shit, I drank too much!"

Namine finally let go and I could finally breathe again. We all sit up. "So, what are you two going to do now?" I ask Yuffie and Namine. "It's not like you can go back there with him walking around."

"We'll just leave before anyone wakes up later." Yuffie separates the sleeping bags, and puts mine and Roxas' backpacks in between. "This'll be our side, that side will be yours."

"I'm fine with this," Roxas says.

"Well good night," Namine says.

* * *

**June 18, 2015- **_**School Camping Trip Day 2  
**_**Time of Day: Afternoon  
****Weather: Sunny  
****Place: Beachside Forest**

"So now that we're done picking up trash for the day, we can finally go swimming!" I announce. All of us cheer except Riku. "What's wrong with you?"

"Your friend Selphie snores too much," he says. "And when she woke up, she got all clingy, saying that she finally had an upperclassman like her and all that overheard and overused, 'Senpai noticed me!' crap."

"Yeah, I'm sorry you had to go through that," I apologize. "If I had known the girls were sleeping with her, I would have just told you to sleep outside."

"Whatever."

"Anyway, let's just all dress up at that small shack over there," I point toward some small shack that was by some tree houses that were connected by wooden bridges. "The teachers said there are changing rooms there."

"In that case, see you guys later." We all split up.

5 minutes later, we all come out. Roxas has checkered trunks on, Riku's are purple, and mine are red with a fleur-de-lis.

"Woah," Roxas says. I look over at the girls. Namine has a white one piece, and Yuffie has a black two piece that has a small skirt. "You girls look great!"

"Watch where you're staring Roxas." Yuffie warns him.

"Well, he's not lying." I tell them. "Well I don't know about you guys, but I'm going to swim. Anyone else coming in, or what?"

"Yeah!" Everyone says in unison. We played in the ocean and on the beach the rest of the day.

* * *

**This chapter definitely took me a while to write. I got sick, and then I had to catch up on school work. But enough about that! Thanks for reading this chapter, make sure to review the story, follow, and/or favorite!**


	9. No One Sees the Real Me

**Chapter 9: No One Sees the Real Me**

**Time of Day: ?  
****Weather: Foggy  
****Place: The Velvet Room**

"Welcome to the Velvet Room," Igor greets me. "I am very impressed. The number of bonds you've made with people is impressive. Your most recent one is that of the Hanged Man Arcana."

A card appears in blue light above Margaret's book. She opens it, and the card lands on it, bursting into a small blue light. She opens the book and I see a picture of Seifer.

"Why does that Arcana sound, I dunno, dark?" I ask. "It's not like Seifer tried to kill himself."

"Oh," Margaret says. "You have been mistaken. The name is misleading, but the Hanged Man actually represents self-sacrifice for the sake of others."

"Nonetheless, your connection has made you stronger," Igor says. "I sense a new bond that might be formed in your future. You may not be able to tell when or where it will happen, but rest assured. The light inside you will lead the way." Igor smiles at me.

The Velvet Room fades into the fog outside.

* * *

**June 20, 2015  
****Time of Day: Afternoon  
****Weather: Cloudy  
****Place: Moogle Co.- Food Court**

"Dude, can you believe she's actually going to be staying here?"

"Omigosh, I can't even believe it! Do you think that she'll go to our school?"

"I wonder if I could get some good pics and sell them…"

That was the majority of what I've been hearing this entire day. Apparently, some big celebrity is going to be moving here to the Destiny Islands. Must be all over the news… I wonder if that person will show up on the Midnight Reflection… Oh, sweet. I finally found a seat.

I've been looking for a seat since I got here so Roxas, Yuffie, and I can do some work. It's been like 5 minutes, but I'm just a tad bit impatient. I sit down and notice something under my foot. It's someone's cell phone. Its cover is pink and has pictures of candy on it. I turn on the screen. A picture shows up a really good looking girl with red hair and an old lady. I scan the crowd for someone with the same hair color. It takes a couple seconds because it's crowded, but I finally someone with red hair.

I try to get close to her. "Hey!" I try to get her attention, but she doesn't turn around. Instead it seems like she's starting to walk faster.

She goes down through the stairs, and I follow her into them. "Wait up!" It's like my voice is falling on deaf ears. At the bottom of the stairs is a hall that leads to some elevators. They open and she pushes through two guys walking out of them.

I manage to get inside. She has a scared look on her face until I show her her phone. "You forgot this at the food court."

A frown appears on her face. "Why didn't you just say that!?" The doors close and the elevator starts to descend.

"To be fair, I was calling you." She takes her phone. The elevator stops and I get out. "Nice phone cover by the way. It looks tasty!" The elevator doors start to close.

She looks at her phone with a confused face, like she's surprised I said that. Now, time go back and look for _another_ seat.

* * *

**Time of Day: Night  
****Weather: Cloudy  
****Place: Dojima Residence**

I'm watching TV and eating dinner with Zack and Usagi when the red headed girl appears on the screen. She's sitting down at a table, a microphone and tons of people snapping photos and asking questions.

"_Doesn't your grandmother run a bakery in Destiny Islands?"_ A male reporter asks.

"_Yeah, she does. It's called Paopu Pastries," _the girl answers

"_What will you do about your band, Destiny's Embrace?" _he asks again.

"_Now that the tour is over, we agreed to go separate ways for now and pursue other goals. I think Yuna said that she'll be continuing to perform though," _she replies.

"_Ms. Kujikawa, do you know when you'll return to work?" _A female reporter asks.

"_I haven't decided when I'll come back to work" _the girl tells her.

"Hey, do you think we'll run into Kairi in town?" Usagi asks. So that's her name, huh.

"I'm pretty sure I did," I tell her. Usagi's face fills with curiosity. "She dropped her phone and I returned it."

"That's so cool!" Usagi smiles. "Is she as pretty and cool in real life as she is on TV."

I think back to how Kairi reacted earlier. "Uhh, I guess you could say that." Usagi stares at me in awe.

"The best thing about this town was that it was quiet," Zack says. "First the murder, now a celebrity! This year has been anything but quiet."

Kairi's interviews end with a movie trailer with her in it. She's talking to a guy on a rooftop. "_So you think no one sees the real you, huh? Let's have it be clear, that I see past all your many faces! Don't push me away just because you can't realize that!" _The scene ends with the movie title written across the screen in some fancy cursive font.

* * *

**June 21, 2015  
****Time of Day: Afternoon  
****Weather: Rainy  
****Place: Moogle Co.- Food Court**

"Roxas out of all the places to meet up, why here?" I ask him. "It's raining out, so it's so crowded in the indoor food court."

"Well, where else are we going to meet?" he asks.

"Anyway," Riku says to get off of the topic. "Do you think Kairi's gonna show up in the Reflection?"

"Probably," Yuffie says. "She did show up on TV."

"But she's been on TV a lot," Namine says. "What's the difference this time around?"

"With her going on hiatus, she's become the talk of the town," I say. "Everybody knows about her and her family's bakery."

"We also don't have a clue what the culprit's motive is," Roxas says.

"Maybe he has personal grudges against us," Riku says. "I know there's ton of people that hate my guts. What about you, Namine. Has there ever been anyone you've pissed off?"

"Never," she says sternly.

Yuffie awkwardly laughs. "C'mon Nami, there has to be at least one per-"

"Nope, not at all."

"Well, I guess you're the exception," I say jokingly. "Anyway, since it'll rain tonight we need to check the Midnight Reflection. Who knows if she'll even show up?"

* * *

**June 22, 2015  
Time of Day: Afternoon  
Weather: Sunny  
Place: Paopu Pastries**

"So you're sure you saw her Sora?" Riku asks.

"Yeah, I'm sure," I tell him. "There's the bakery." I point towards people in front of a small building. All kinds of people are there, paparazzi, random high schoolers, people who actually came to buy stuff from the bakery, and that one creepy guy that hides behind a bush in order to get raunchy pictures of celebrities and post them online.

"Dude, I can't wait to see her! I've been waiting for this moment my entire life!" Roxas says. So you've been waiting to tell a celebrity she might get kidnapped? You must have some great aspirations Roxas. "Ever since I saw her in that bikini in the Reflection last night, my passion to meet her has risen tenfold!"

"I've actually been here before. The food they sell here are really good. I mainly come for the cinnamon rolls," I say.

"Then how come no one is going in?" Riku asks.

We walk up to the door and see a flyer. In big bold letters it reads:

**YOU CAN ONLY ENTER **

**IF YOU'RE COMING TO **

**BUY OUR PASTRIES**

But then next to the flyer is another. It reads:

**OUT OF PASTRIES**

**SORRY FOR THE INCONVENIENCE**

**PLEASE COME AGAIN ANOTHER DAY**

"Like hell some stupid sign is going to stop me from seeing a celebrity!" Roxas abruptly opens the door. No one is at the counter. "Um, hello? Anyone here?" Roxas asks

Kairi walks through a door leading to a kitchen. She's wearing a red shirt and a white apron. "Didn't you see the sign?" She asks in a monotonous tone. "We're out of food."

"Woah, it's seriously Kairi!" Roxas says

"So you're the real thing, huh?" Riku asks.

"You're just straight out about it, huh?" She looks at me and a small smile appears on her face. "Hey, you're that guy from the other day."

I wave at her and smile back. "Hey there."

"Hey, what the hell?" Roxas asks. "You guys already know each other?! Not fair!"

Kairi returns to her monotone voice. "So are you guys here to buy our pastries or what?"

"Yeah, definitely!" Roxas says.

"Well we're out, so you might as well leave," she tells him coldly.

"In that case, um, uh…" Roxas becomes quiet.

"Do you still have cinnamon rolls?" I ask.

"Hmm… Let me check something first." Kairi walks out of our sight. She comes back with three freshly baked cinnamon rolls. "I mentioned a spiky haired kid to my grandma, and she told me it's okay to sell these to you. "

"Yup," I smile. "That's me!"

"We hid some food in case people _actually_ wanted to come here and buy stuff. Not the people who only come here to take selfies with me." She hands me the rolls in a paper bag.

"That's 1500 Munny for three rolls, right?" I ask.

"Yup," Kairi tells me. I hand her the money. "Thanks for coming." She smiles at me, and I get a jealous stare from Roxas.

"Anyway, now the real reason we came here," I say. Kairi turns around confused. "You've heard of the Midnight Reflection, right?"

"Yeah, I think I overheard some people talking about it yesterday," she tells us. "People keep on saying that they saw me in a bikini, but I've never worn a bikini like that in any of my photoshoots. Plus, her boobs were bigger."

Roxas looks at her chest. "Oh yeah, wow, you're right."

"Don't be rude." Riku punches Roxas in the back.

"Look, there's a big chance the person showed in the reflection will be kidnapped." Kairi gasps. "Listen, we're just here to warn you. It may seem crazy but-"

"You're upsetting the neighbors! Beat it!" I hear Zack's voice.

"Crap… Listen, we have to go now," I tell her. "Don't mention us to the police, okay! You can trust us!"

"Hmm…" Kairi looks down as if she's in deep thought. "Fine. Explain this to me some other time."

"Thanks for trusting us." We turn around just as Zack and Terra enter the bakery. I act surprised. "Oh, hey Zack. Did you come for some cinnamon rolls too?" I ask him jokingly.

"As much as I would just want to buy all of them, we're here on business," Zack tells us. "Why are you here?"

"Roxas wanted to meet Kairi, and I wanted cinnamon rolls." Not a lie, but just not the complete truth.

Zack stares at me. I think he's trying to determine if I'm lying or not. "Anyway, you three should go," He tells us. "We have things to discuss with her."

"We were just about to leave anyway." Roxas, Riku, and I walk out. "Bye."

We close the door behind us and we talk about random stuff so Zack doesn't get suspicious. Hopefully I didn't act too guilty.

* * *

"Roxas, are you trying to make us look like creeps?" I ask him.

"Shhh, she's leaving the bakery!" Roxas tells me.

"I don't even get why we're doin' this," Riku says.

"We're hiding to see if we can find the guy to see who's after her," Roxas answers. "Be on the look out for suspicious characters."

"The only suspicious ones are us," I tell him.

"Sora's right, you know?" We turn around and we Yuffie and Namine walking with each other. "What are you guys doing?"

"You three do look pretty suspicious," Namine says.

"Are you the killer Roxas?" I ask him jokingly

"Shut up." Roxas continues to intently watch Kairi down the street.

"Hey guys!" I look past Namine and Yuffie, and I see Zack's partner Terra.

"Hey Terra, what brings you here?" I ask him.

"Zack wanted me to keep an eye on you-" Terra realizes what he's saying and starts to stutter. "I meant that I was going to buy some stuff from the bakery! Yeah, I was totally going to say that." So looks like Zack read past my lies.

"Hey guys, look over there!" Roxas points at some guy looking behind a pole.

"Is that him?" Yuffie asks.

"Must be," Riku says. "He's just standing there and watching her." Which is the same exact thing we're doing Riku.

"Let's go after him!" Roxas starts to run at the creepy guy.

"Roxas, he could just be-" Namine, Yuffie, and Riku zip past me.

Terra follows, telling them to stop. "That could just be a regular celebrity stalker, not the killer!"

The creepy guy notices them and starts to lead the chase. I follow them until they pass Kairi. They all cross the road, and tackle the stalker onto the ground.

Kairi stops walking. "What's up?" I ask her.

"I'm confused, what's happening right now?" She asks me.

"My friends are being idiots right now," I tell her. Terra grabs the stalker by the collar and starts to walk him across the street. "Do you want me to bring you to a place where there are less crazy people?"

She smiles. "Sure."

* * *

**Time of Day: Afternoon  
****Weather: Sunny  
****Place: Destiny Islands- Beach**

"So do you think there'll be anyone here at this time?" Kairi asks. I brought her to the part of the beach near the bakery.

"Probably not," I tell her. "It's nearly nighttime, so not many people are here."

We sit down on the sand. Kairi notices a magazine with her face on it next to us. As she flips through it, she sighs. She rips out a page. "What sucks about this is that I'm used to having stalkers."

"Wouldn't it be better not to?"

"Yeah, I guess so." She folds the page into a paper airplane and throws it. "The girl everyone makes a big fuss over, isn't me." The plane glides over a small sand castle. "Hmph. Kairi the biggest teen idol my ass. She's just another packaged product created to sell. Nobody sees the real me. Ever." The plane lands in front of the water.

"What do you mean?"

She scoffs as she hugs her knees. "You wouldn't understand."

"That's totally fair, not even giving me a chance." I can tell she remains skeptical. I guess I can't blame her. I'd probably be resentful if I were in her shoes as well. "Keep it bottled up and you'll get sick."

To my surprise, she throws her head back and laughs. "Because you know everything, right, Mr. Messiah?"

I shrug. "If the shoe fits."

She shakes her head with a slight smile. "You're freaking horrible."

"Hey, I'm just trying to offer my condolences, a shoulder to lean on in your moment of pity; free of charge. How can you not accept a deal like that? Free! That's a pretty good deal. I'll have you know that I play a pretty big bargain for my shoulder services."

"Okay, fine, you win. Just stop being a dork." Her mirthful expression sours back into its cynical foundation. "It's just… do you think that someone like me has the luxury of living a normal life?" She picks up a nearby stick and carelessly tosses it towards the ocean. "I don't even know who to trust anymore. I've had to adapt to constant second guessing and paranoia when it comes to everything I do."

"So you're a really cautious person, big deal."

Her eyebrows scrunch. I think I might have just pressed the wrong button here. "You don't even get it, do you? I've been sheltered into isolation because of my status. I don't know what a true friend is, and I never will. I'll never know if somebody is friends with me because they generally like me for me, or if they're trying to ride on my bandwagon for some extra perks that come with a majestic status."

Nice to see that she's humble about it. But wow, I never really thought about it like that. "When you put it like that…" I trail. I don't even know what I can say to even the playing field. She's clearly more experienced in this avenue than I am. Maybe it's times like this where it's better to just shut up.

"And that's only half of it. Scams, shady businesses, constant endorsements that I don't even agree to sometimes, public appearances, hey, even a death threat every now and then."

"A death threat?"

"I don't take them that seriously," she affirms. "They're mostly in vain. Dilan told me that every celebrity with a high status gets a death threat every now and then." She sighs. "Doesn't make it any less stressful."

"I can imagine."

"No, you can't. I'm sorry, but someone like you just… you just wouldn't understand. My childhood was robbed from me. I can never get it back again. I hardly even know what it means to have fun, not anymore, anyway."

"I don't think that's entirely true," I interrupt. She gives me wide eyes. "Sure, you're a big name, but you can easily quit. The choice is yours, it's up to you to pick your path."

She looks skeptical. "That's what I thought at first too. But you know, something about these contracts confine you into less optimistic outlook."

I give her a pouty face. "Stop moping like that, you're making _me _sad."

She tries to put on a weak smile, but her eyes tell a different story. I can see the pain, the plea for help in those deep, blue orbs. "Sorry," she mutters.

"Alright, you need to cheer up." I set my eyes on the magazine. "Hey, can you give me one of those pages?" She rips out a piece and hands it to me. She watches my hands intricately fold the sheet of paper into a flower. "Here, have it."

Kairi smiles. "Impressive." She rips a piece out and folds it into the crappiest origami crane I've ever seen.

"Geez, you suck," I tell her bluntly.

Kairi pouts. "That's not very nice." She rips another piece out and folds it into a better crane. "I can do better if I try."

"Fine, you proved me wrong," I tell her. "Sorry." I laugh a little. My phone vibrates. Riku sent me a text. "My friend just told me the coast is clear. We can head back now."

"All right then." We get up from the sand. "It's getting dark, so we might as well leave. By the way, you never told your name."

"It's Sora. Sora Narukami."

"And mine's Kairi Kujikawa."

"Oh yeah," I say jokingly. "I think I heard that on TV last night." Kairi laughs a little.

* * *

**June 23, 2015  
****Time of Day: Afternoon  
****Weather: Cloudy  
****Place: Destiny High- Hallways**

"So what you're saying is that the Midnight Reflection is some sort of warning?" Yuffie asks.

"Yeah," I tell her. "It's like some twisted view into the culprit's mind."

"And then the crazy versions of people only show up when they enter the Mirror World?"

"That's my guess. Those are the days we need to head into the mirror and rescue them."

"Should I tell everyone else this?"

"Yeah, where are they anyway?"

"Riku wasn't feeling good, Roxas skipped school, and Namine was helping at the inn."

"Oh, okay. Are you going home?"

"Nah, I gotta get to my teacher for some extra help. See ya later Sora!" Yuffie runs off.

"Bye Yuffie." I head to the the school exit.

"Oh hey Sora." I turn around and I see Kairi.

"Hey Kairi. What brings you here?" I ask her.

"I'm going to be going here for school," she tells me. "I just came here to fill out some paper work. I'm going to be in the Sophomore class."

"Same as me and my friends then."

"That's cool. Maybe you could show me the ropes."

"I've only been here since April."

"Really?" We walk toward the door, but we see a bunch of paparazzi by the gates. Kairi sighs. "I swear they weren't here when I first got here."

I start walking in the other direction. "Follow me, I know another exit."

* * *

**Time of Day: Afternoon  
****Weather: Sunny  
****Place: Destiny Islands- Streets**

"I'm surprised the paparazzi didn't know about the back entrance," I say. We were headed toward the bakery.

"I know, right?" We finally reach the bakery, and there's even more people there than at the school gates. "Just great…"

"Ms. Kujikawa!" We turn around and see a guy in a suit.

"Dilan?" Oh, so she knows him. "What are you doing here?"

"Who's the guy?" I ask Kairi.

"He's my manager," Kairi tells me. "I don't know why he's here though."

"We need to talk. Follow me to somewhere a bit more quiet." Dilan starts walking to the nearby park. Kairi and I follow him.

Once we got to an isolated area, Dilan stops walking. "Listen, as your manager I can not have you continue acting foolishly."

"I already told you, I'm not going to be a singer anymore!" Kairi tells him. "I'm not some stupid doll that someone needs to manage all the time!"

"About that movie where you were given the starring role-"

"What? Are you trying to force me to perform again?!" Kairi cuts him off. "Just go."

"Yuna has taken your place."

"But I thought Yuna said that she would continue to be a singer?!" Kairi asks. "She never said anything about taking an acting job!"

"Well with you going on hiatus so suddenly, the producers for the movie couldn't find a replacement for your role in the movie on such short notice," Dilan tells her. "That was when Yuna stepped in to take your place."

"But…" Kairi chokes on her words.

"I'm going to become her manager." Kairi gasps as Dilan tells her this. "You clearly don't understand this business. At least Yuna knew what a good opportunity was" Dilan starts to walk away. "You're on your own now."

Kairi and I are now alone. Everything became quiet, the only noise coming from the rustling of the trees.

"Hey Kairi, you okay?" I put my hand on her shoulder. "Are you really sure, you wanted this hiatus?"

"Get your hand off me!" Kairi slaps my hand off of her shoulder. "What would you know? You barely even know me!" Tears form in her eyes. "You're the same. You're exactly like everyone else." Kairi runs away crying.

I can't help but feel guilty about this. Maybe I shouldn't have asked about her hiatus... I guess she was right though. It's not like I know her enough to understand her pain.

I start to walk home and it starts to rain. I should probably check the Reflection tonight. But if my theory was right, and Kairi shows up on the Reflection all messed up...

* * *

**Time of Day: Night  
****Weather: Rainy  
****Place: Dojima Residence**

Please Kairi, don't show up… I look at my clock. It's only a couple seconds till midnight. I walk toward my mirror. A yellow glow emits from it. I see a slender hand with red nail polish on holding a silver pole. The view goes expands, revealing Kairi in a red bikini. She laughs seductively.

"_Why hello there…"_

* * *

**To my readers, I'll only tell you this: These next upcoming chapters are going to be fun! Thanks for reading this chapter, leave a review, favorite, and/or follow the story!**


	10. Who is the Real Me?

**Alright! I'm back from my hiatus! To tell you guys the truth, it was nice taking (I think) two weeks off. Of course, we did work on this chapter… Mainly procrastinating, but we did work on it! That and Palette was doing her own thing with SoraxKairi7, so yeah.**

* * *

**Chapter 10: Who is the Real Me?**

**Time of Day: ?  
****Weather: Foggy  
****Place: The Velvet Room**

"Welcome to the Velvet Room," Igor greets me.

"The destiny the lies before next is-" Margaret opens her book, and 4 Arcana Cards burst out. "Oh my! Listen my guest," Margaret says. "Be warned, a trail like no other awaits."

"You will undergo a horrible ordeal," Igor warns. "It's to the point that your current powers might not be able to stop what lies in your path."

"But we were planning on saving Kairi!" I tell them. "How come we won't be able to stop whatever you're talking about?"

The cards return to Margaret's book as she closes it. "The answer to that question lies in your endeavor to save your friend."

The Velvet Room fades into the fog outside.

* * *

**June 23, 2015  
****Time of Day: Night  
****Weather: Rainy  
****Place: Dojima Residence**

"_Look what the cat dragged in!" _Mirror Kairi spins on the silver pole next to her. "_That's right, it's me. The one and only Kairi Kujikawa!" _Spotlights focus on Kairi as she dances on the pole. "_I'm about to take on the most extreme role I've ever been in!" _She laughs seductively. "_I. Am going. To. Strip for you!"_

W-What? Did she just say strip? "_Oh, I'm so embarrassed! But, if I'm gonna do it, I'm going to go all the way! I'll take all off for you, the people who want to see who the real Kairi is!" _Kairi blows a kiss, and the yellow glow of the mirror fades away.

What was that word I made up when I saw Namine's version of this? It was something to do about being horrified and aroused? Oh yeah, ha-roused. Yup, I'm totally ha-roused right now.

My phone starts to ring. I take it out of my pocket and see that it's Roxas. "Hel-"

"Sora, she said strip right!" Roxas yells.

"Geez Roxas, your screaming made me deaf in my right ear," I tell him. "And yes, Kairi did say strip."

"I knew I wasn't dreaming! These Reflections are getting crazier and crazier!"

"Calm down Roxas," I tell him. "Don't be too excited about this."

"Hm? Oh yeah, um, sorry about that," Roxas apologizes.

"Anyway, It's like her other self is completely unhinged and spinning completely out of control."

"Do you think Kairi is in the other world now? You know, because of the theory you told us?"

"Yeah, I'm sure of it. I still can't help but think this is my fault."

"It's not your fault Sora. Things got emotional for her, like you told us."

"What sucks is we even knew who was going to get taken this time around."

"I know, right?" Roxas exhales. "Are we going to meet up with Donald tomorrow?"

"Yup," I tell him. "We're going to save her no matter what." I hang up my phone. Regardless of what Igor and Margaret said, there's no way in hell I'm not going to try and save Kairi.

* * *

**June 24, 2015  
****Time of Day: ?  
****Weather: Foggy  
****Place: Mirror World**

We enter through our mirror, and we find Donald sulking in a corner.

"Donald, what's wrong?" I ask.

"You guys left and had fun without me…" Donald says wistfully.

"Donald, are you lonely?" Yuffie asks.

"Yes I am! I'm really down in the dumps right now…"

"Yeah, yeah, cut the crap!" Roxas says.

"Did you just call my feelings crap?!" Donald raises his wand, and lighting strikes Roxas. Roxas falls over, smoke coming from his hair. "Here I am having an existential crisis, and he calls my feelings crap!" Donald goes back to being recluse. "I don't know where I came from, I live in oblivion, and I got so lonely I wanted to cry, but nothing came out!" He whimpers. "Whenever I start to think about it I get even more lonely!"

"Donald, we'd never forget about you," I tell him. "Sometimes we even talk about you."

Donald looks up at me. "You do?"

"Yeah! Just remember we're concerned about your well being too," Namine tells him.

Donald smiles at us. "Thanks you guys…"

"No problem," I tell him. "Anyway, my friend was brought here and we need to find her." I take out the origami crane that Kairi made back at the beach. "Here, use this to find out where Kairi is."

"Okay, sure!"

"But first can you heal Roxas?"

* * *

**Time of Day: ?  
****Weather: Foggy  
****Place: Mirror World- Heartless Love Strip Tease**

"So you're saying Kairi is at a strip club?" I ask Donald.

"Yeah, if that's what kind of place this is," he says. "I sense her in there."

"This is one of those clubs that you'd find in some dark alley of some run down old tourist town," Yuffie says.

"Who cares about that," Riku says behind us. "I can't see shit with all of this fog. Hey Donald, do you have a pair of those glasses?"

"Oh yeah, you didn't get your own pair of glasses yet Riku," Namine says.

"Oh yeah, I completely forgot!" Donald reaches into one of his pocket and pulls out a pair of glasses. "Here, have these."

"Donald, why did you give me these?" Riku asks after putting on the mustache glasses. "Give me a different pair or something!"

"They're the only pair I have on hand!" Donald says. "You'll have to wait until I make a new pair."

Namine tries to stifle her laugh. "You look completely fine Riku! Totally not ridiculous at all!"

The interior of the club was posh and almost everything colored in different shades of red. There are mirrors everywhere, and posters of women in stripper clothes. Their faces are all covered by Heartless symbols, except for those that had a picture of Kairi in a bikini.

After walking through a couple halls, some dead ends, and the occasional surprise Heartless attack, we reached a large room with bars, and one stage with a golden pole on it.

"_Ladies and gentlemen!" _We hear a distorted version of Kairi's voice. "_Welcome! Let me guide you through the sparkling world of wonder!"_ Once the voice finished talking, curtains in the back lifted, revealing different versions of Kairi. There's a pop star, a nurse, a cheerleader, and a bunch of other ones.

"That's a whole lot o' Kairis," Yuffie says.

"Yeah, and I know everyone of them!" Roxas becomes excited. Roxas begins to name every single one of them, to our distaste.

"_Okay! This show is called Kairi's Smokin' Hot Body!" _A pillar of darkness appears and disperses with Heartless Kairi appearing. "_Are. You. All. Ready!"_

"Hells yeah I am!" Roxas cheers. "Woo! Go Kairi!"

"Will you just shut up?!" Yuffie kicks Roxas.

"Fine, sorry," he says as he stumbles back to his feet.

"_Today I'm here to bear everything to you all!"_ Heartless Kairi says. "_What? Do you think I'm telling a fibby wibby? Why don't you find out for yourself!" _Tango music starts to play and Shadow Kairi starts to dance, spin, and grind against the pole. The clones clap along with the music

"Ugh, I hope mine wasn't like this," Riku says. "God this is brutal."

"Of course this is brutal!" Donald says. "These are the feelings Kairi has bottled up inside of her!" I think back to the conversation I had with Kairi back at the beach. I remember her saying how people never saw the real her.

The music suddenly stops. "_Humph. Talk about a dead crowd. Well then, maybe it's time that I brought out our special guest."_ The spotlight moves from Heartless Kairi, onto…

"Kairi!" I yell.

"Please… I'm begging you, just stop…" Kairi pleads with her shadow.

We run toward her, but then Heartless appeared. Some looked like orange 4 petaled flowers, basic shadows, and the large rotund one. But a couple that looked like knights in purple armor were new. They had large shields with black and blue dog heads that had sharp teeth.

"_Listen closely guests,"_ Heartless Kairi says. "_Please keep your hands off of the dancers at all times."_ Heartless Kairi continues to dance.

The shields of the Heartless began to shoot fireballs at us. We evaded them by getting behind some couches. "**PERSONA!"** We all break our arcanas unison.

"Let's make this quick! Go Izanagi!" I raise my hand and Izanagi summons lightning, which destroy most of the Heartless. The only ones left are the shielded ones.

"I got this! Go Sakuya!" Namine's Persona raises it hands, and launches salvos of blue flames at the Heartless. The enemies appear unscathed after the explosions. "What the?"

"Guys, they resist magic attacks!" Donald warns us.

"Then looks like it's my turn to fight!" I look toward my left and Riku is smiling with a new pair of glasses on. They're black wrap around sunglasses. Riku's Arcana appears in blue light. "**PERSONA!"** Riku punches his card, and his persona comes out. "Go Dark Guardian!" Guardian slashes through the enemies like butter and punches any into black mist if they get close enough.

"Riku, you're a freaking bulldozer!" I tell him.

He smiles back. "Go get to Kairi. I can handle these guys on my own!"

We run toward the stage and Kairi is talking with her Heartless. "_So who exactly is the real you?" _The copies start to chant. "I'm the real Kairi"

"I don't know!" Kairi screams. "I don't know who the real Kairi is!"

"_I am the real Kairi,"_ her Heartless says. "_You see, I am you, and you are me. I'm sick and tired of having to put on a fake smile and play the air head flirt."_

"Just stop!" Kairi yells. "You're not me!"

The Heartless begins to laugh. "_Here it coooomes!"_ Dark Mist envelops the Heartless. When it disperses, what appears is the Heartless' true form. It's body was that of a woman with Kairi's red hair, but its skin was made up of different colors, constantly swirling and changing . Instead of a face, it had 7 hexagon shaped mirrors together and a golden spike in the middle. With its shape, it looked looked like a satellite. The Heartless was upside down, hanging by one of its legs wrapped around the pole.

Club music starts to play and the spotlights change colors to the beat. "_I am a Heartless, the true inner self... For our guests in the front, I'll give you guys an extra-special, extra-intense service!" _

"What is this…" Kairi says.

"Kairi!" I yell.

"So… ra…" She faints and lies on the floor.

"Everyone attack the Heartless while I get Kairi to a safer place." Everyone nods in agreement. I run toward Kairi.

"_Oh? You're going to rush the stage? What an ill mannered guest!"_

I pick her up and lie her down by Donald. "Keep an eye on her Donald!"

I run back toward everyone. "Nothing is working Sora!" Riku says.

"What do you mean?"

"She's dodging all of our attacks!"

"_You're all sooo transparent!"_ Blue target circles appear on our Personas.

"No way, is she scanning us?!" I ask. "She must be seeing our attacks coming!"

"_Analysis complete!"_ The Heartless stands up. "_I've got something long, hard, and explosive for our VIP guests!" _She picks up the pole and aims it at us. "_Time for a counterattack! FIRE!"_

5 rainbow shots are fired from the barrel of the pole, and hit our Personas. I feel immense pain my body as my Persona physical appearance starts to flicker.

"Dammit... What the hell was that?" I ask desperately.

"_Aww, you finished already?" _The Heartless asks. "_I could go on for a couple more rounds! FIRE!"_

More beams hit our Personas, making them completely disappear. "We're screwed…" Roxas says.

"Does this mean… We're going to die?" Namine asks.

I think about what Igor and Margaret told me. "Donald! Take Kairi, and get out of here!"

"What?! But I can't just leave you guys here!" Donald says to me. "I don't want to end up all alone again!"

4 more poles drop from the ceiling and Heartless Kairi and points them at us. "_Time to up the ante! Say your prayers!"_

"Stop it!" I look toward Kairi, who's now standing up. "Just please let them go!"

"_You annoying little bitch!"_ her Heartless says. "_Do you want to- What the hell?!" _I look toward Donald and he's radiating a powerful yellow light. "_Why is your energy reading so huge?!"_

Donald yells and starts running toward Heartless Kairi. "I DON'T KNOW WHAT I'M DOING!" The yellow light turns into yellow fire as he picks up speed. "My body is just moving on it's own!"

"_STAY BACK!" _Heartless Kairi fires the poles, creating a large beam.

"Donald!" I yell. The beam reaches him, but he's just splitting it into two!

Donald inches closer and closer, until he jumps onto the Heartless' weapon. "TAKE THIS!"

"_THE SYSTEM IS OVERLOADING!" _Everything is consumed in a blinding white light.

Once the light fades away, most of the strip club is destroyed, and the ground full of debris from the explosion. I look to the epicenter of the explosion, and I see Heartless Kairi back into her human form lying on the ground, and Donald. He was completely deflated, and his feathers were burnt.

I make a small laugh. So that's what Margaret and Igor meant. I might not have been able to stop this threat, but they didn't mention anything about Donald saving us. "Donald, you just saved everyone."

"I did?" He says dizzily. "Yaaaaaayyyy…."

"Thanks Donald," Kairi says. "You helped save me."

"Listen," Donald says wearily. "I know how it feels to not know who you are. It's hard, but you don't have to worry about it alone." He smiles. "We both have Sora and the others to help us find who we really are."

Kairi looks toward us. "I'm sorry I put all of you guys through this."

"Just take it easy for now," I tell her. "But first, you'll need to reconcile with her." I point at her Heartless.

"Right," Kairi walks toward her dark copy. She kneels next to it and hugs it. "I'm sorry that I didn't understand that the casual me and celebrity are just parts of my personality. I guess there really is no real me per se, but just one personality with different sides to it."

The Heartless nods her head as she's engulfed in a blue light. The light disappears, showing a woman with rose-colored skin in an elegant red and pink dress. Instead of a face, she has a camera lens, as if it's one giant eye. She also holds a golden ring with both of her hands and has a gold tiara on. The Persona disappears, and Kairi falls over.

"Kairi!" I run towards her and pick her up.

"I'm okay Sora," she tells me.

"We're all pretty spent," Riku says. "It only makes sense."

Roxas exhales. "How 'bout we get going before something bad happens."

"_There is no real me…"_

"What the?" Roxas says. We looks toward Donald. Behind him is something I wouldn't have expected. It was a larger version of him, but with a deeper voice and yellow eyes.

"_No true self exists…"_

Donald turns around. "What the heck?!"

"Seriously? We just fought Kairi's and now another Heartless?!" Roxas complains.

"Something feels off about this one though…" I say. "This isn't like any of the Heartless we've been fighting…"

"_Such foolishness!" _The Heartless cries out. "_The real truth will always be shrouded in fog!" _Fog envelops the entire area. The Heartless swipes its arm and shows its true form. It's a gargantuan version of Donald's upper body. Its face has 2 giants holes in it, which reveal the emptiness of the Heartless' body and 2 pulsing yellow eyes. Its beak is full of cracks and has rows of sharp teeth. Its lower body is hidden from us, as it's in a large swirling pool of darkness.

"_You might as well try to find meaning, but what's the point?" _the Heartless asks. "_Blissful ignorance is the only way to live." _The Heartless raises his hand, summoning a large purple sphere. It begins to pull us in, like a black hole.

We all desperately hold on to something. I'm holding Kairi next to pillar, and everyone else is holding on to other things for their dear lives.

I hear Donald's scream. He's been grabbed by his dark copy!

"_Your search for the truth will lead you nowhere," _the Heartless says. "_The only truth you need is the undeniable truth that you will perish here!"_

"Looks like Donald had more than an existential crisis…" I'd call my Persona, but I don't know what would happen if Izanagi got sucked into that thing.

"Sora," Kairi says. "I have an idea."

"What is it?"

"Have your Izanagi hold Aurora for me."

"Aurora?"

"She's my Persona."

My Arcana appears. "Come on out Izzy!" I shatter the card, and Izanagi thrusts the Keyblade into the ground so he can hold onto something.

Kairi's Arcana appears in front of her. "**PERSONA!" **Aurora appears and Izanagi holds her. The ring she's holding is put over Kairi's eyes. "Scan him Aurora!" Aurora's lenses twist and a blue target circle starts moving around the Heartless. "There's something else in there! Something else besides the Heartless and Donald!"

"What is it?"

"I can't tell with all of this fog!"

"_This is where you'll fade to nothing…" _The Heartless tightens his grip on Donald. "_You were nothing to begin with." _The Heartless moves him closer to the black hole.

"Nothing?!" Donald yells.

"_You have no memories of your past. You are empty. Your entire existence was that of a mere-"_

"I'm not listening!" Donald covers his ears. Or at least where his ears should be. "I'll find the answers myself! You can't stop me!"

"_There are no answers to find." _

"I'll keep looking anyway!" The Heartless stops moving Donald. "What do you know, you big palooka?! I may be empty, but I'm no useless ol' duck! I don't want to be lost, and I don't want to leave my friends!"

"_You choose this?" _the Heartless asks. "_Even though your quest for answers will only cause you pain? Your choice is incomprehensible."_

"I found it Sora!" Kairi tells me. The target circle stops near one of the Heartless' eyes.

"I'm starting to lose my grip!" I hear Yuffie scream.

"Go Izanagi!" He takes the Keyblade out of the ground, and uses the pull of the black hole to propel him to the target. Once in the air, he aims the Keyblade at the target, and a salvo of energy fly toward the spot. The projectiles hit the target, and the Heartless throws Donald away as it screams in pain. The black hole fades away, and the Heartless crumbles away.

The Heartless in now its original form appears and Donald walks up to it. "It's sad not knowing who you are," Donald says. "But this whole time, I was afraid that if I did look, I might not find any answers at all. But even if I didn't find what I wanted, I know that my friends will have my back!"

"Aww, thanks Donald," I tell him. "But did you seriously forget what we promised you? We promised that we'd help you find out who you are! And we won't stop until we find that answer for you!"

"You're far from alone duck," Riku says.

"Yeah!" Namine says. "You're part of our team!"

"You guys…" Donald starts to tear up. "Thank you!"

Behind Donald, the Heartless becomes engulfed in a blue light. The light flies up, and explodes into tons of cartoony stars. The Heartless turned into a giant blue swirling orb of energy. It had two large wings and had a brown wizard's hat. It sort of looked like Donald's magic wand. Donald got a Persona?

The Persona disappears, and turns into its Arcana form. "Wow, I get my own Persona?" Donald asks.

Kairi smiles. "I sense great power coming from it."

Yuffie stretches. "Okay, now I'm really tired. Are we going back or what?"

"Yeah, we are, but first group hug!" I go over to Donald and hug him. Everyone follows suit.

"Guys be careful!" Donald tells us. "You don't want to flatten me even more!"

* * *

**Time of Day: Twilight  
****Weather: Sunny  
****Place: Destiny Islands- Streets**

"Thanks Sora, but I think I'll walk back home from here," Kairi tells me.

"You sure?" I ask. "You feel completely fine?"

"I could feel better but, I can manage." Kairi hugs me.

"Um, Kairi, not that I mind it, but why are you hugging me?"

"I'm thanking you for saving me. I'm also apologizing for yelling at you back at the park."

"Oh. Well in that case, apology accepted. But I think you just made me number 1 on everyone of your fans' hit lists."

"Then deal with it."

"Wow, that's cold."

Kairi laughs and lets go of me. "I know it was. Anyway, I'm going to help you find the killer! For all we know, you guys could die if you don't have me help you!"

"Oh really? We've been doing pretty well so far."

"If you've been doing pretty well, then how come you guys nearly died because of my Heartless?"

I try to think of a witty comeback, but nothing comes up. "Touché. Dammit, this is the beach all over again isn't it."

"Pretty much!" We both laugh.

"Of course you can help. Your support abilities will come in handy."

"Having someone to back you up always comes in handy! Anyway, I'll head off, okay."

"Okay, see ya later."

As I start to walk back home, Kairi calls my name. "Wait a minute."

"Yeah?"  
"Come to think of it, a hug isn't really a 'Thank You for Saving my Life' present does it?"

"It's fine for me."

"No, it's not!"

"Okay, then what is?"

"You Sora Narukami, get to go on a date with me!"

"So a date with a celebrity? You really are trying to get me killed by your fans."

"If I was trying to get you killed, I would have just paid someone to do it."

"Wait, what?"

"Just joking!"

"Are you sure? I'm pretty sure you have the money for it."

Kairi laughs. "For real, I'm just joking"

"Then in that case, sure I'd love to go on a date with you."

"Perfect! Then how about the end of this month?"

I smile. "Sure. I guess it's a date.

* * *

**Another chapter has been completed! Now both Kairi and Donald have Personas! Palette will be writing Sora and Kairi's date scene, so it will be AMAZING.**


	11. Sora's First Date

**Chapter 11: Sora's First Date**

**June 30, 2015  
****Time of Day: Noon  
****Weather: Sunny  
****Place: Paopu Pastries**

I never would have thought that me, of all people, would be on a date with Kairi Kujikawa.

It baffles me, quite honestly. I never pictured myself in the same frame, or even the same stratosphere with someone on her level. I'm going out with a mainstream pop star, leader of a popular band. I'd almost call it blasphemy to say the very least. My time here in Destiny Islands has been a turbulent ride, so I think it's about damn time I get to leisure around for once.

Good god, I have no idea what the hell I'm doing. It's funny, I've had to endure the heavy ordeals of bizarre dilemmas. Heartless, strippers, and a god damn naked Riku, but _this _of all things is getting my pulse racing?

I stopped by the floral stand and got Kairi some flowers. It's pretty old fashioned, but you know what? I don't care. I have no fucking clue what I'm doing. I mean, look at me, I'm wearing a white v-neck overlapped with a blue button down and some jeans. Is this even date appropriate attire? Should I be dressed up? Should be in a tuxedo? Should I have rented a limo? Should I have combed these outrageous fibers of mass wreckage that I poorly perceive as hair? I don't know!

Calm down, Sora. Breathe in, breathe out. This is just a casual date. Not senior prom. You got this.

Although when my sights set on the Paopu Pastries bakery, my sweaty palms and thumping heart say otherwise. I freeze in place, getting a good feel for the ground. Maybe I should stay here? I find comfort in complacency. It means I don't have to waste my energy on insignificant boundaries. Maybe this was a bad idea. Who am I to just accept an invitation with the hottest specimen of female in the whole town? Can you say, public enemy number one? I think I ought to just turn around.

"Are you Sora?"

Fuck me.

I turn around, nice and slow, until I lock gazes with two deep, experienced eyes. This has to be her grandmother. She's short, her posture is bent, she has grey hair in a tight bun, and her wardrobe consists of an old purple dress and a white apron over it. She's waving at me excitedly.

"YOO HOO!"

Just perfect. There's no turning back now. I make my way up to her.

"How'd you know it was me?" I ask. It's not like we've ever met face to face.

"Oh, don't be silly," her frail voice says, "you're all Kairi's been able to talk about lately."

She's been talking about me? "What has she been saying?"

"Oh, I'm sure you'll find out." Her innocent giggles are actually kind of annoying. Just say it! "Come inside."

The bakery is all too familiar. Grandma Kujikawa steps over to the staircase and cups her hands over her mouth as a makeshift megaphone.

"Kairi! Your boyfriend's here!"

I tense up to that statement. Madame, I resent that!

"Okay!" Kairi calls from upstairs. Wow, she didn't even bother to correct her.

Grandma Kujikawa gives me a smile as she walks past into the backroom. These stupid flowers are practically melting thanks to my sweaty hands. I wasted fifteen bucks on these bitches. I might as well throw them away before she sees these travesties.

"Hiya!"

Life. I hate it.

"Aw, are those for me?" She takes the depressed herbs away from my possession and gives them a passionate sniff as if they were worth shit. "Lovely, but I think you should go die in a fucking fire until your corpse is nothing but a spit of ash in the burning depths of hell before you ever buy me flowers again, piece of shit!"

Did I just hear right? "E-E-Excuse me?"

She tilts her head in confusion. "What's with that stupid face? I only said that I think you should probably water them first."

Am I hearing things? Oh man, this is bad.

"Oh, right."

"You nervous?"

"Nervous? Me? No!"

She gives me a skeptical gaze while she places the flowers in a nearby vase. I can't believe she's actually keeping those nightmares. They look like they came right out of a graveyard on a rainy day. "If you say so."

"Okay, let's uh… um… get out of here, or something. I dunno. Depends, whatever you want to do."

She raises an eyebrow. "Okay…?" A curious look washes over her features. But it quickly gets dismantled by a cheeky grin. "Let's go!"

Go where? And why is she so eager? I'm not used to having a girl fawn over me like this. Especially not someone of her status.

"Let's hit it," I say, walking towards the exit. Crisp fingers clutch my arm.

"Hold your horses." She pulls out her cell phone and dials a number. I just look at her dumbly. "Reel 'er in, Hank." She hangs up. That was frighteningly fast.

"What was that all about?"

"Personal transportation. You think you can just stroll around town willy nilly with someone like me?"

I believe that every celebrity harbors some kind of sense of pride prodded by praise. It makes sense, people forget that those who have accumulated fame are still regular people. Treat someone like a god for too long and their head starts to get a little bloated. Kairi's just a teenager. As cool as she is, I can't say that her lack of modesty strikes me as a surprise.

I cross my arms. "What was that? Sorry, I can't hear you when your ego is at maximum volume."

She rolls her eyes while walking over to the window in the front of the bakery and pulls the sheet down. The light of day pierces my vision before I find a crowd of screaming teenage girls and guys. Some of Kairi T-Shirts and crudely crafted posters that say "i luv u kairi! 3". When the hell did these people get here? The street was empty when I arrived!

Yep, this must be a surefire ingredient to a slightly bubbled ego trip. Appreciation like this could make anyone poke their chest up high to the sky. It's a miracle that Kairi can still maintain some self respect.

"My case is closed," Kairi says, with a victory smile tugging her lips.

My eyes won't detach from the crowd. "Okay, I gotcha."

A limo pulls up behind the large crowd, which turns heads immediately. Two beefy bodyguards with shades exit the vehicle and enter the bakery. I must look like a fool, with my mouth ajar. These guys are towers in comparison to me and Kairi. It's a good thing I'm on her side.

"Miss Kujikawa, you and your date must stay close."

"Of course, Keeno, I know the drill."

The other bodyguard bends over and levels with me. I cringe and shrivel slightly from the intense stare. "Um… yeah?"

He lowers his sunglasses, and I'm introduced to two of the most scary blue eyes I've ever seen in my entire life. I hope that's just sweat down in my pants.

"I got my eye on you."

Kairi slaps him on the wrist. "Penny, be nice."

Penny? Of all the names for this brute with muscles of mass destruction, his name is Penny?

"Quit laughing," Penny says, directed to me.

I stop my laughter immediately. "Sorry, your highness."

"Don't be scared of him, Sora. He's under my control." She grips him by the ear. "And I won't let him do anything to you. Is that clear?"

Penny groans. "We're clear, Miss."

No lie, that's kinda hot.

Kairi groans. "Okay, enough with the filler. Can we get this over with, fellas?"

"Stay close," says Keeno. He marches out the premises. Kairi snatches me by the arm and keeps me close as Penny follows behind, barricading us from the desperate fans who try to grab a feel on Ms. Talk of the Town. And judging by the angry looks of the male portion of the crowd, I'm gonna be Mr. Talk of the Town soon. I don't think that's a good thing.

After making it through the crowd, we shiftly enter the back of the limousine. Keeno and Penny get in the driver and passenger seats. Our seats are padded with a leathery cushion. The armrests have cup holders and other kinds of perks.

"You like?" she asks.

To be honest, I don't know. I'm just an islander boy, I'm not used to this kind of fancy. Do I really deserve this?

"Uh, yeah. It's comfy." Well, I'm not lying.

"Ready?" Keeno asks, driving away from the scene.

"Well, you started driving anyway," Kairi says, folding her arms and crossing her legs. "The usual spot, Keeno."

"Have any idea where we're going?" She did say the "usual" spot, after all.

She takes my hand with both of hers and smiles excitedly. "Yeah, there's this place I wanna show you!"

When she lets go, I use my hands to grip the leather cushioning. This is definitely a whole new experience for me. I've never had such comfy transportation before, it's kind of overwhelming.

I look out the window and find our Islands atmosphere more vibrant than usual. Might just be the inner twinges of excitement, I can't really tell.

Kairi looks at me with some knowing smirk.

"Food on my face?" I ask to break the odd stare fest.

Her response is a giggle. How cliche. "You're just really cute. I mean, can you make it any more obvious that you're a total noob at this?"

"Excuse me for not being born with these kind of ideal perks." I find myself rubbing on the cushions once again. "Must be nice to have always had these kinds of privileges."

I don't hear a response. I turn over to her and notice her nearly void eyes staring into space. Did I press a wrong button?

"You okay?"

She snaps out of her gaze and gives me two wide and innocent blue eyes. "Hm?"

She fascinates me. Her shifty transitions in demeanor can probably rival the speed of sound. "You just looked kinda out of it."

"Sorry." She leans against the car door. "But it just had me thinking, a life like mine-it really isn't all it's pent up to be." She stares out the window. "I wouldn't wish this on anybody."

Before I can ask what she means-

* * *

**Time of Day: Afternoon  
****Weather: Sunny  
****Place: Destiny Islands- Beach**

"Oh! We're here!" she squeals. Kairi waits for Penny to open the door for her. Keeno does the same for me. I look out into the distance and see a wide ocean in the background of a flat plain of grass. A tree stands as the heart of the scenery. It feels like it's been snatched right out of a portrait. A house hangs on the branch.

Kairi yanks my arm to pull my awareness back to surface. "Come on, come on! We gotta hurry before any paparazzi notices us."

I nod and let her lead the way as she drags me over to the treehouse. She climbs a ladder almost as quickly as I'd expect from an adventurous child. Her spirit seems to come alive whenever we're together. Makes me wonder why. Maybe I'm just dodging obvious answers. Or maybe discrete ones… I can't tell.

She's up at the top and into the little fort in no time. Her head pokes out from the entry. "Come on! You're wasting time!"

I'm lost into my thoughts as I climb up the ladder. What is it about me that Kairi sees? I don't get what she sees in me. I've always figured my personality was about on par with cardboard.

As I reach the top, my sight is petrified by Kairi's butt. She's perched over in the window, looking out at the sea in a telescope. Not a bad sight, mind you. She turns around with her hair swiveling into place, framing her face perfectly.

"Get nice and snuggly!"

For a treehouse, it's pretty basic. It's what you'd expect, solid wooden walls with some posters of some old pop groups spread around and what I'm assuming to be some of her old toys. There's a shelf on the far right with a Moogle doll sitting upright. There's a little mini closet on the left. Kairi digs in the closet until she tosses out two large bean bags.

She leaps onto her pink bean bag and sinks into it along with her resonating laugh. I caution myself a little, taking another glimpse of the area before sitting down in the other bean bag provided for me.

"Whad'ya think?" she asks.

"It's nice-for a five year old."

She punches me on the shoulder. "That's when my father built this for me, dick."

I rub the spot but decide to let it go. "Your father, huh? How's it with him?"

She shrugs. "Meh."

"Meh?"

"Hard for me to say. We're not as close as we used to be. Once I got into showbiz, the family fun time kinda just gradually vanished."

This sob story is nothing new. I could say the same for most people my age. I've just fortunately always had a pretty good relationship with my own.

"Am I the first one to be up here?"

"Don't flatter yourself. I used to come up here with my cousins sometimes. It's just a great place to get away, you know?"

Not my first choice for a date, especially a first one, but I suppose it'll do. "Why did you bring me here?" It's a question that should be handled with care. I'm walking on thin ice here, I don't want to overdo anything.

Kairi's lips form a straight line. Let's pray I didn't push the red button. "I figured I needed a break." My puzzled expression tells her to keep talking. "Honestly, were you expecting much? We can't go out anywhere public, remember? No movies, no shopping malls, no walks in the park. We'd get caught in a crossfire of flashing cameras and unapologetic hassling. You'd be all over the headlines and you'd probably never have a normal life again, unless I cut you off."

My words seem to stop processing. Her story is more of a tragic tale than I've given her credit for. She's been sheltered into the shadows all her life without much room to protest. It's quite accurate to this shack-we're closed off in a space where no one can harm us. The watchful eyes of the daylight can't penetrate our conscious.

"As a kid, I'd usually come here at night and stargaze."

Makes sense. Talented minds usually feel protected from society under the nonjudgmental eyes of the stars.

"I… kinda don't know what to say," I choke.

"Sorry. I know, I'm dropping heavy bombs but it is what it is. This is the only place where I feel… free, you know?"

"Ever think about getting a disguise?"

"Believe me, I've tried. But you'd be surprised how rigorous of a process that really is. It'd take a couple hours just to get everything set up. By the time I was done, it'd be too late for me to go where I wanted, anyway."

"Oh." What a weak response. I feel ashamed for not having better words to offer, but how can I when I can't relate?

"Besides, what good is going out in public if I have to hide behind a mask? Kinda takes away from the experience." She sighs. "But it's not normal. I know this isn't normal. _I'm _not normal."

"If you're hurting that bad, maybe taking a break from showbiz should be taken into serious consideration?"

She scoffs as she turns onto her belly on the floor and stuffs her mouth into her folded arms. "Not really my choice."

A sweep of silence ensues the atmosphere. I hate this. I hate when people hand me their sob stories. I feel obligated to say some type of motivational speech but I suppose God just didn't enter that into my genetic code. Now I feel completely useless. I wouldn't surprised if the only reason she brought me here was to be a cheap counselor. It doesn't seem like she has anyone else.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I'm being kind of inconsiderate right now," she peeps. "Trust me, I didn't bring you up here just to rant about my life."

Mind reader much?

"You hungry?" she asks, pulling out her phone.

After ordering food from the Secret Place, she got Penny and Keeno to go get it for us. I tried lightening up the tone a bit and she seemed to reciprocate well. I guess my first notion about her only using me for counseling is a miss, not that I'm complaining.

"So, then one of my fans tried to sneak into my hotel room," she says, kicking her legs up on the wall eating some chicken fried rice, "and he started sniffing my clothes after I hopped out of the shower. I don't know what would have happened if Keeno weren't there to protect me."

"Sounds like a bittersweet experience."

"It was hilarious, actually." She rolls back and up onto her feet, tossing her empty carton into the trash can.

"Sounds like a wild lifestyle," I say, slurping some lo mein.

"No kidding. It has its moments."

This has dragged on long enough. I think it's about time I get some answers. "Kairi, why did you bring me here? And I want a serious answer this time."

I can only see her back, still and motionless. She slowly turns around and her eyes bear little expression.

"I haven't had a real friend in a very long time, Sora." Emphasis on real. "I guess I just wanted you to have a chance to get inside the real me."

That's what she said, but I feel as though that'd be inappropriate.

"I've always had friends with motives totally two-sided. You're one of the firsts who really seem to care about me as a person. I know this isn't what you pictured our date to be like, but I wanted to let you into my heart. And this dusty old place really is all I remember of my childhood."

She's letting me into her heart, huh? She really does trust me with something as important as that. This isn't just some "it's okay" moment Sora, so don't screw yourself over by saying something stupid! "If it makes you feel better, I'm happy you brought me to your special place. I've never really had any experience with dates, so I had no idea what to expect. I can't say it's been a bad time, though. I can appreciate some soul searching every now and then."

"That's my life story. Been looking for a soul to cling to for a while now." She takes a seat in front of me and takes my hands. "But I'm glad you came with me. I really hope none of this has turned you off."

"Nah, it's all okay. Being tossed into the same category as your friend and psychiatrist doesn't bother me. At least your stories are funny." I smile at her.

"Is that all that's redeeming about me?"

If only I had the pair to tell her how gorgeous I think she is. I think I'll go with the coward response. "No, of course not." Smooth, Sora. Smooth.

Her eyes probe me to elaborate, but I don't budge. "And…?"

I'm new to these kinds of things. This school year has been a total 180 for me. Like a caterpillar, I've been institutionalized in a cocoon to barricade myself from my peers. Being social wasn't exactly my thing. And these past few months I've slowly broken these anti-social barriers. I've made a bunch of awesome friends, Roxas, Yuffie, Namine…

But never have I been so nervous. Why can't I just relax? How come I look down at my palms and find them drenched? Why can't I communicate properly? I should be over first date jitters by now. I have no idea what I'm doing. I have no fucking clue what I'm doing.

"Sora?" Her voice is distorted.

The hell is happening to me? My senses are starting to shrivel, my pulse won't stop this overwhelming duet with my heartbeat and I can't tell if my muscles are getting heavier or weaker.

"Sora, you don't look so good! Should I call someone?"

I reach out.

But all I meet is a bold black.

* * *

**Time of Day: ?  
****Weather: Foggy  
****Place: Velvet Room**

A thumping headache, that odd scent that can barely pinpoint, the weight of the environment… this is all too familiar.

How can forget that snide smirk? "Welcome back," Igor says.

My head won't stop throbbing. This room seems to have a lot more leverage to it than usual. "What do you guys want now? This isn't really a good time."

"As if we were on your time," Igor says.

Before my eyes, a bedazzling blue hued shine frames an Arcana card above Margaret. It slowly descends onto her open book. The card bursts into a small light and a picture of Kairi next to an Arcana with what seems to be a heart on it appears on 2 of its pages.

"Ah, I see you've made a bond with someone of the Lovers Arcana," Margaret tells me.

Those words probably could give me a heart attack. "L-Lovers?" I stammer.

Margaret chuckles. "Relax, for the Lovers represents a person at a crossroad. One could say its modern meaning came from the idea of choosing someone to cherish and love, or having them just remain close to you."

"So putting someone in the friendzone, or getting into a relationship?"

"In layman's terms, yes. That is what the Lovers Arcana represents," Igor assures me

"Just remember, Sora, a girl's heart is not to be taken lightly," Margaret warns me. "Make a poor decision and you could the bond could be shattered into pieces, engraining your mind with regretful memories."

What a bitch.

"Thanks for taking it easy on me, Margaret," I say sarcastically. "That definitely didn't make me even more scared." Honestly, I can squash a bunch of Heartless and not bat an eyelash, but a date? I'm nearly pissing my boxers just thinking about it. My balls are seriously overdue for a dropzone.

"We are done here for today," Igor pipes up. "We'll be sending you off. Good luck on the rest of your date."

_Sora, wake up!_

Before I'm able to say anything else, darkness begins to shroud my vision…

* * *

**Time of Day: Afternoon  
Weather: Sunny  
Place: Destiny Islands- Beach**

The stabs my eyesight relentlessly as I reopen my eyes. I'm back in the treehouse with my head resting in Kairi's lap. She's patting my face with a panicked expression gracing her features.

"Oh, thank God," she breathes. "What the hell was that all about? Are you okay?"

I sit up and rub my head. "Dandy as a flower."

I twist my upper body to find myself entranced in her curious, deep blue eyes. She's panting slightly; my attention ends up being drawn to those pink lips. The hell is wrong with me? My mind refuses to erase what Margaret and Igor told me. To think, so much falls on the shoulders of me, myself, and I, whether I friendzone her or not.

Am I really in the position to handle any type of relationship? With all of this Persona crap, I think it would just be a distraction. Of course, it wouldn't be a distraction I'd particularly dislike. I can't risk it sabotaging my focus. Am I even in her league? It might be best if I kept myself out of such a big ballpark.

"Sora," she says in a sultry voice. Before I can react, she places a hand on my cheek. "I think… this could work out, don't you think?"

"W-What?" Great comeback, dude. Really.

I'm paralyzed as she leans her head towards mine and our lips connect. I'm pretty sure fireworks are bursting in my stomach right now.

"Sora!"

I open my eyes. She's looking at me with a puzzled face.

"You just completely turned your zone out mode on," she says, a tad irritated.

I think I should seriously see a doctor about this daydreaming shit. I swear I'm narcoleptic. But I guess it's good that I did have that little hallucination… now I have a taste of what it might be like to be in a relationship with her, a glimpse towards a hopeful future. I have to say, it's certainly a delicious feeling (note to self: change this line during editing).

But to maintain focus, I can't succumb to these implications. Who knows? Kairi might view it as wantoning. I don't think it's a risk that'd be worth it. This can really just go one way or the other. My overthinking is gonna be the death of me.

I guess there's only one thing to do.

"Sorry, I'm just really tired," I excuse lamely. "I was up all night trying to practice being smooth for today, but as you can see, it didn't work out too well."

She giggles. "It's okay, don't be nervous. That's the mistake people make for a first date, don't get so caught up in your coolness. What matters is just having fun!"

She's too good for me. "And… did you have a good time?"

She wraps her arms around my neck with a teasing smirk. "Well… it was interesting, nonetheless."

What does that mean? "Nice, dodging the question."

"Aww, but it's more fun if I leave you in the dark about it."

"Fun for you, agonizing for me."

"But that's what makes it fun." She flicks me on the nose.

To think, this could be a regular thing someday. She could be mine one day. But sadly, the logical thing to do would be to hold off any of my desires until I'm in a comfortable enough position to settle down. It wouldn't make sense right now.

"Kairi, I'm really glad we could do this today. I'm glad you were able to open up and that you trusted me enough to bring me here. I know it hasn't been an ideal date or anything, but it's been fun. I'm glad we could do this."

She smiles brightly. "Yeah, it's been fun!"

This is gonna be tougher than I thought. "You're an awesome friend." I put my hand out and she stares at it as if it were chopped up and bloodied. I'm sure this wasn't what she was expecting, but I can't do this right now. I hate this feeling… having to give up happiness for the sake of an ongoing battle that still hardly makes sense to me.

Sacrifices… I never understood the pain of it until now. That look in her eyes as she contemplates my indirect proposition makes me feel like my whole world's about to end. I'm just a dorky islander boy who's found himself in an incredible circumstance and along the way I've become friends with a hot, talented lead singer. Let's face it, I don't belong here. I don't deserve this. She'd probably be better off with some other guy that could actually keep up with her. I'd just be holding her back.

She takes my hand with a light squeeze and sits back, looking at the floor in confusion. "Yeah… friends."

"What is it?"

She shakes it off. "Nothing. I gotta go."

Well, that was abrupt. "Go? Where?"

"I dunno, I thought maybe my _friend _would be able to figure it out." She scowls at me before standing up and making her way down the treehouse.

I guess it's not that surprising. If someone proposes a date, I'm sure they're expecting more than a simple affirmation of friendship. Sorry Kairi, but for now, this is the best I can do. It just wouldn't be right to be in a relationship while trying to balance everything else that's been shoved onto my plate.

I suppose it's kind of flattering that she got so mad, it means that she really was expecting more than what I had to give. It would have been worse if she accepted my handshake without a sign of remorse. I guess that means there's still a speck of hope left between us.

Maybe one day once things settle down, I'll be able to take it to the next step. Someday soon… it's just a matter of confidence. I got this.

Alright, enough rambling, I should start heading out too. I pick myself off the floor and walk to the window. The limo is gone and Kairi's gone with it. Wait a second…

Kairi was supposed to be my ride back home.

Fuck.

* * *

**As you guys can see, Palette and I have completely different writing styles. She also has more experience than me in so many ways. I find it really helpful and nice of her that she decided to help me with this story. Especially since she's working on a Short Story contest submission with SoraxKairi7.**

**Thanks for reading this chapter, and sorry it took a while. Trust me, we stayed up until 2AM sometimes just to work on this chapter together! I'll work on Chapter 12 soon, so just be patient like you have for this chapter. **

**I hope you liked this chapter. Leave a review, so I can tell her how well she did ;)**

**P.S. It was Palette's idea to make Kairi angry at Sora. So yeah. Don't hate her all you Sokai fans. She loves that pairing as much as you guys do. I probably love it even more =)**


	12. Over?

**Chapter 12: Over?**

**Time of Day: ?**  
**Weather: Foggy**  
**Place: The Velvet Room**

I sit alone in the Velvet Room. It sort of make sense considering they've talked about the bond Kairi and I made. It makes me think, how am I going stop Kairi from being angry at me?

I look at the table where Igor usually has some cards spread. A thick grey-leather bound book and a blue envelope sit silently on top of it. Of course it's blue, everything in the stupid room is blue. I open up the envelope and see it's from Margaret.

"If you're reading this Sora, it means we're not here right now." No duh. Come to think of it, haven't they left a note like this for me before? Do they have templates for these things?

"What we are doing does not concern you. For now, you should just look at my Compendium. It may intrigue you. Once you are done looking through the pages, you'll leave when the Room sees fit"

When the room sees fit? Does this place have a consciousness or something?

I pick up the book and start flipping through the pages. The pictures of the people I've made bonds with, as Margaret and Igor have called it, are all moving. What's even cooler is all of the Personas I can apparently use. There are tons, like a giant 8 headed dragon, a giant blue genie, a short woman in red queen-like clothing that for some reason is holding a green flamingo.

Once I finish flipping through most of the pages, I put the book back on the table. As if it were just scripted, darkness begins to shroud my eyes and the Velvet room starts to fade away.

* * *

**July 10, 2015**  
**Time of Day: Noon**  
**Weather: Cloudy**  
**Place: Yuffie's House**

"Dammit!" Riku slams his fist into one of Yuffie's many punching bags. "I thought the people killed were limited to the people shown on TV!"

Our teacher, Vexen, was found dead last night. He was found the same way as the first two victims, tied to a Paopu Tree. We decided to go to Yuffie's house because her parents weren't home. That way we could talk without being conscious of eavesdroppers.

"He didn't even show up on the Midnight Reflection," Namine says.

"I thought we had figured some big stuff out, but maybe it was just a coincidence." Yuffie sighs. "Maybe the murders aren't even related to the Reflection."

I shake my head in disagreement. "No, that can't be it…"

"Then how come Vexen is dead?!" Roxas asks rather forcefully.

"I don't know!" The room silences at my outburst.

Roxas exhales. "Sorry Sora. Sort of lost my cool for a minute."

"Maybe this time we should just leave it to the cops," Namine says.

"But I thought we were doing this because it was above what the cops could do?" Riku asks.

"Listen," I stand up from the floor. "What we know is that Vexen is dead, and he never showed up in the Reflection. But that doesn't mean we should just give up."

Everyone nods in agreement.

At the same time, Roxas' phone start ringing the chorus of Barbie Girl.

The rest of us are confused while Yuffie starts to snicker.

"Yeah dad?" Roxas groans. As the conversation continues, Roxas' eyes twitch and he starts to laugh awkwardly. "Uh, yeah. Okay. See you later."

"One, why the hell is that your ringtone, and two, what did your dad say that has you all weirded out?" I ask the mortified Roxas

Roxas takes a deep breath. "For the first one, I lost a bet with Yuffie, and now I have to have this ringtone for a week. For the second one," Roxas gulps. "Donald is currently at Moogle Co, hogging the massage chairs."

* * *

**Time of Day: Afternoon**  
**Weather: Cloudy**  
**Place: Moogle Co.**

Once we got Donald off of the chairs, we went to the food court to get some answers out of him.

I slam my hand on the table and shine my phone on his face. "First question!"

"Sora, what's the point of shining the phone at his face if it's bright out?" Riku asks.

"Don't question my methods rookie!" After imitating a drunk Zack, I avert my attention back to Donald. "Anyway, how'd you get into our world?"

"I took the same way you guys leave," Donald says. "Why would I go through any other way? I wouldn't know where I would end up!"

"Okay then, onto question 2!" I lean closer to Donald so no one outside our group hears us. "Did you sense anyone enter your world?"

"No, not that I know of. If I sensed anyone, I would have stopped getting my body back to the way it was and see where it was headed."

"So Vexen really didn't go into the Mirror World." Namine's face goes to that of deep thought. "That must mean the killer murdered him here so we couldn't stop him."

"It makes sense considering we've saved 3 people in a row," Roxas says. "It's like they say, if you want something done right, do it yourself."

As we talk about any other possibilities of how come Vexen was killed, Donald wipes the sweat off of his brow. "Phew! It's hot here! I'm takin' this thing off!" He begins to undo his his large cartoony zipper around his belly.

"No, you can't!" Yuffie tackles him and pulls Donald's hands. "We can't let the kids here see you without your upper body! You'd be all empty inside!"

"But I'm not empty anymore!" Donald miraculously shoves Yuffie off of him and fully unzips. His upper body pops off, and out comes a boy around our age in a white and blue striped shirt and brown pants. He has blue eyes and blonde colored hair.

Wut?

"Donald, did you grow a body by doing sit ups?" I ask him.

"Yes. Yes I did!" He replies triumphantly. "Little bit of magic from my Persona helped too!"

After awhile of questioning Donald, Usagi walks up to us. I brought her here so she could go grocery shopping. It may have been irresponsible, but she's done this before according to Zack, so I let her go on alone while we questioned Donald.

"Hey Usagi, what's up?"

"Can you help me get some stuff please?" She asks.

"Yeah, sure." I turn to my friends. "I'm just going to handle this quickly, okay?"

"Go on ahead," Yuffie says. "We'll deal with this for now."

* * *

"So, what did you need my help for?"

"Can you get these things please?" She hands me a short grocery list with doodles of food drawn on it. It's got bread, eggs, and some of the things you'd normally find on a shopping list. "I can get these other things." She shows me her own list.

"Okay. Are you sure you can a basket full of food?"

"Yup!" She pats her biceps. "I'm strong!"

I laugh. "Okay then, I'll be off."

I head off to get the bread and once it's retrieved, I start walking to find Usagi. Once I find her, I see a fear stricken Usagi, trembling before a guy towering over her.

I run over to her direction, and turn the guy around by grabbing his shoulder.

"And what exactly are you doing to my cousin?" I ask him.

The guy scowls at me. He's a little bit on the chubby side, has headband holding his spiky hair up, and a red shirt that spelled DOG STREET on the side.

He scowls at me and starts to walk off grumbling and talking to himself.

I kneel down and put my hands on Usagi's shoulders. "Are you okay? What did he do to you?"

"I'm okay, and I think he wanted the milk I was holding." She stares at the gallon of whole milk. "It was the last one."

Is she saying that guy got angry over milk? What's with some people these days?!

I continue to gather all of the groceries with Usagi. Once we paid for everything we started to walk home together.

* * *

**Time of Day: Afternoon**  
**Weather: Cloudy**  
**Place: Destiny Island Streets**

"Hey guys!" Donald waves at Usagi and I. He has some Sea Salt Ice Cream in his hand.

"Who said you could get ice cream without us?" I ask.

"Sorry, we just had to shut Donald up so we could get some quiet," Riku tells me. "His curiosity is a bitc-" He notices Usagi and stutters. "Bit too annoying." I give him a thumbs up for not swearing in front of my younger cousin.

"Do you two want some ice cream?" Namine asks Usagi. "I'd be happy to get some for you!"

Usagi tugs my arm. "Is it okay?"

"Yeah, sure. You like the Spark Lemon flavor, right?" Usagi nods her head. "Okay then, go on with Namine. Can you just get me a Royalberry on a cone please?"

"Sure!" Namine nods. "C'mon Usagi, let's get you some ice cream!" Usagi follows the blonde with a large smile.

I walk over to Yuffie sitting on a bench. "So, did I miss anything when you investigated Donald?"

"Not really," she tells me. "What you heard is all that he told us."

"Yup, all I know is that no one has entered ever since you came last time." Donald licks his ice cream. "Also, before I forget." Donald takes a pair of red fashion glasses out of his pocket. "You need to give these to Kairi."

Oh yeah, Kairi. She's still pretty pissed at me. The fact that she's still angry even after 10 days baffles me. Everytime I think about it, I also think about what Margaret and Igor told me.

I take the glasses from him and stuff them in my pocket. "Yeah, I'll bring these to her later."

"Y'know, come to think of it, you two don't seem as close from when we first saved her," Roxas says. "What'd you do, bring her on a bad date?" He teases.

If only that were true. Did I forget to mention that I still haven't told anyone about the date Kairi and I had?

"Something like that," I say to myself. "Anyway, it's nothing really."

Roxas shrugs it off, but Yuffie glares at me. I feel like she's trying to read my emotions, so I sit down away from her and try to avoid her eyes.

After a minute of waiting, Usagi and Namine come back with our ice cream. Once we finish, Usagi decides to go back home, while I head toward Kairi's family bakery.

* * *

**Time of Day: Afternoon**  
**Weather: Cloudy**  
**Place: Paopu Pastries**

Once arriving at the bakery, I see someone unexpected. That guy with the black hat who was investigating Riku's mom.

He notices me. "Oh. It's you. What are you here for?" he asks. "Trying to win over Ms. Kujikawa this time?"

"Not that I want to completely dodge your question, but what's your name again?" I feel like knowledge of my messed up situation with Kairi should be limited to me as of now.

The boy scoffs. "It's Xion Shirogane. More specifically, Detective Xion Shirogane." Detective? At our age? "I'm here to help the police department find out the culprit behind the serial murder cases. Now if you could answer this question for me, I'll gladly be off."

It better not be about Kairi. Even I'm not telling a detective about my love life. "Okay, ask away."

"Why is that your teacher showed up dead, even though he never appeared on TV?"

How did he find out the whole TV thing? Okay, I'm just going to try to act calm and not freak out that he has the same lead we do. "Not really." Great answer Sora, it just screams _"I'm toootally hiding something important!"_

"Okay then." He starts to walk away. "I just want to finish this investigation ASAP. So expect me to keep an eye on suspicious things. You and your friends are around the top of my list."

Great. First Zack is suspicious, and now the Tiny Detective over here is too. It's getting harder and harder to keep this whole Persona secret, a secret.

I walk into the bakery and see Kairi behind the counter. "Welco- Oh, you." Hey, she said two and a half words to me! That's a great improvement after ten whole fucking days! Whenever I tried to talk to her she usually kept quiet the entire time.

I sigh. "Listen, I need to talk to you. Is anyone here who doesn't know about the Mirror World?"

"No," she ever so bluntly says.

"Still doing the whole hating me thing?"

She says nothing.

"Listen. I don't want you to be angry with me." I take out the glasses Donald gave me. "These glasses will help you see through the fog on the other side. Not only are they helpful, but they also signify the bond we have with each other and everyone else. You're a part of our group now."

Kairi takes the glasses and stuffs them in her purse.

"Listen. I want to be your friend Kairi. WE want to be your friends. We all have to trust each other so that we can work together and find out who the culprit is!" I back up, because I realize that I was way too close to Kairi's face.

Kairi's blushing face becomes less and less red. She then walks into the back of the bakery saying no words.

Day 10 of Operation: Get Kairi to Like You Again, failed.

I walk outside and sit down on a bench. At least there aren't any paparazzi around to see this. Townsfolk have also gotten used to the fact that Kairi is here. Lately they've been coming less, probably because they're not finding anything gossip-worthy about her.

Pretty ironic considering what's happening between right now.

I wanted to try to fix this myself, but now I know that I'm going to need some help.

I'm definitely not asking Roxas. He'd probably attempt to kill me for doing that to Kairi.

What about Riku? He seems chill enough. It's just that I don't know where he stands in terms of dating experience. From what it seems, he hasn't had a girlfriend before due to him acting like a loner and having the whole fear about being judged by people.

Namine maybe? I mean the girl can be an airhead sometimes, but she's capable of not being stupid… Except when she realizes she's being hit on by guys.

Yuffie seems to be my only option. I don't think she'd dated any guy before, but she did glare at me when Kairi was mentioned. She either can read emotions well, or she heard what I said to myself after Roxas asked me about Kairi.

I call Yuffie's cell and wait for her to pick up. It rings for a couple seconds, but she finally picks up. "Hey Sora, what's up?"

"Hey Yuffie. I need to talk to you about something important."

"Okayyy, what's so important? Is it about Kairi?"

"How the hell did you know?"

"Dude, I'm right down the street, to your left." I look toward my left and see Yuffie a couple blocks down waving at me. "Kairi's bakery is on the way to my house. And I could tell it was you, because no one in this town wears a porcupine for hair ."

"Oh."

"I also felt that something went wrong with you and Kairi when Roxas mentioned her."

"Dammit, you can read emotions!"

"Yup, I can!" I turn around and Yuffie appears behind me.

"How the hell-" I look toward my left and see no one there. "How did you do that when you were over there?"

"Ninjas never reveal their secrets," she says in a sing song voice.

"I'm pretty sure those are magicians."

"Whatever! Anyway, let's just go to my house so we can talk about your dating problems!"

Great.

* * *

**Time of Day: Night**  
**Weather: Sunny**  
**Place: Yuffie's House**

"Your mom seemed happy at the fact that you brought a guy home," I tell her.

"She's just acting like a mother," Yuffie says in an annoyed way. "So, you mind telling me what's up with you and Ms. Super Star have been up to?"

I sigh. "It's a long story, so prepare yourself." Yuffie nods her head and sits down. "About a week ago, Kairi and I went on a date."

"A date?"

"Not one of those cliches ones, okay?" I assure her. "She brought me to her old treehouse from when she was a kid."

"Mhmm, keep talking"

"We talked for a while, had some food, and then…"

"And then what?"

"I blacked out."

"What?"

"I was freaking out over what to do, and just blacked out!" I'm not sure if I should be telling her about the Velvet Room just yet. I'll just go one secret at a time for now.

"What are you, narcoleptic?!"

"If I was, you'd see me blacking out even more. Anyway, once I woke up, a few more words were exchanged between us, and then I called her my friend."

"What's so bad about that?"

"By the way she acted and how mad she is at me now, I can tell tell she had a thing for me."

Yuffie's mouth is wide open. "Then why didn't you get into a relationship with her!"

"I just feel like she should have a guy better than me. That and all of the Persona stuff is also a big thing that we have to deal with right now."

Yuffie stands up and shakes me by the shoulders. "Sora, you had the chance to get into a relationship with a super popular celebrity, and you let your stupid humility get in the way of that?!"

"That and the fact that I don't think I'm ready to deal with having a girlfriend yet."

Yuffie lets go of my shoulders and shakes her head. "This is why some guys are just idiots."

"Excuse me?"

"Some guys don't know how to take the initiative! If you see the opportunity, you go for it!" Yuffie exhales as she tries to calm down.

"Well can you tell this idiot some advice on how to deal with the situation?"

"My advice, huh? I've never dated, but you can probably trust me."

"Probably? Yuffie, you realize that is one of the words you should never use when giving advice."

"Shut up and listen. Anyway, you just need to beat her at her own game. Have you visited everyday and try to apologize?"

"Yes."

"Okay, that means she'll expect you to come everyday. Good 'ol Kairi here playing hard to get. She's getting all of the attention from you, while you get no twinge of emotion from her. She could also be sick of your face because of the stupid move you made."

"Does that means the best thing to do is stay away from her for a couple days?"

"Exactly. That way, she'll wonder why you haven't visited. Then she'll start to think about you when she least expects it. Like for example, you like the cinnamon buns at the bakery, right?"

"They're the metaphorical crack of my literal addiction to them."

"Well, Kairi is always around them, so she'd always think of you from time to time."

"Wow, that actually makes a little bit of sense."

"It makes a ton of sense, you just need to trust me on this!"

"Okay, I trust you. Is there anything else you have?"

Yuffie taps her chin. "Talk to her when something important happens that concerns the both of you."

"Okay now that makes sense." I sit down after pacing around the room for the entire time. "That's all you got?"

"Yup."

"Thanks for that." I breathe in and try to relax. "The load I had on my back feels a bit lighter now that someone else knows about my messed up love life."

"You're welcome." Yuffie laughs. "And trust me, I won't tell anyone. Not even Namine, and I tell her everything."

"Good. Anyway, I'm going to head off." I walk toward the door.

"Yeah, see ya later. And good luck." Yuffie give me a thumbs up.

I smile back at her. "Thanks."

After letting Yuffie in on this secret, I feel a bit closer to her than before.

* * *

**July 11, 2015**  
**Time of Day: Morning**  
**Weather: Cloudy**  
**Place: Destiny Island Streets**

Me, Roxas, and Namine are walking around town just hanging out and heading to the train station to meet up with Yuffie. It's actually quite relaxing for once. We're trying not to talk about the investigation and just enjoy our summer until some new leads come up.

"Hey Namine." I turn around and see that same spiky haired guy who was hassling Usagi.

"Hey, you're the same guy from yesterday!" I say.

"Oh great, this guy again," Roxas says sarcastically. "He tried to ask Namine out for months. He actually stayed away for a while, so I thought he gave up."

"C'mon, let's ditch these guys have have some fun," the guy grabs Namine's wrist forcefully.

I shove him back, trying to do the job Yuffie normally has. "Back away from my friend!"

The guy scowls at me. "You back off! C'mon Namine, you're going to come with me. Right?"

Namine has a baffled look on her face. "Just who exactly are you?" Namine, y u so dum blonde? "Have we met before?"

"You've seriously written this guy out of your memory, haven't you?" Roxas asks.

The guy's face shows that his temper is rising. "Are you messing with me?! How dare you!"

"The hell's going on here?" I look toward my right, and Riku is walking towards us. "And what do you want with my friends?" Riku glares at the guy with his cold blue eyes.

The guy starts to back off slowly, and then breaks out into a run. "You idiots will regret this!"

* * *

**July 20, 2015**  
**Time of Day: Noon**  
**Weather: Cloudy**  
**Place: Moogle Co.- Food Court**

"God, I hate summer homework." I slump onto the top of the huge as fuck summer packet we've been working on.

"I haven't even entered the school yet and they're making me do it." Kairi complains. "What's the point of taking any foreign languages if you can just use an online translator!"

"I don't think that's the point," Riku says wearily.

I'm still surprised Yuffie's plan worked. After a couple days of giving Kairi a break from me, I decided to text her to hang out with us. She hasn't said many words to me, but she is warming up to everyone. Hopefully soon, we'll be able to have a conversation that lasts longer than a minute.

What really surprises me is that Roxas hasn't taken like 50 selfies to prove that he hung out with a celebrity.

"Can I copy your grammar section now Namine?" Roxas asks.

"No, you can't." Namine tells the slothful Roxas. "And how many times have I told you, I'm not even done with it yet!"

"So how's Donald been doing Roxas?" Yuffie asks.

"Oh, he's over there." Roxas points lazily at Donald giving out balloons to kids. "He's been working here to earn his keep. The guy literally lives in my closet."

"So you got him in his regular getup, huh?" Riku rests his head on his fist.

Donald leaves the kids and comes walking toward us. "Hey guys! How's it going? If you're hunting studs again, I'm right here!"

Namine bangs the table. "Dammit Sora, why'd you have to make that stupid joke!" Earlier when I called everyone to come here so we could do homework, Namine said she might be busy. I then made a joke saying that she was out stud hunting like her Heartless.

Donald was next to me, so he's been joking about stud hunting for a while. At first it was mildly amusing, but now it's getting on my nerves.

"Sorry to disappoint Donald, but this is more like a group date than some sleazy pick up joint. There's even a girl for every guy. Riku is with Namine, I'm sadly with Yuffie, and Sora is with Kairi."

I look up toward Kairi and she's blushing, keeping her line of sight away from mine.

"Honestly Roxas, you really think there'd be a group date with you involved?" Yuffie asks.

"Yeah, and even if we tried to have one, Vexen would find out and start screaming at us about hormones and sexual predators," Roxas jokes.

"Yeah, he would do that." I smile. "Well, he would do that if he wasn't dead."

Everyone sighs. "He was an ass," Yuffie says bluntly.

"I didn't like him very much either," Namine says.

"But no one deserves to die like that." Riku raises his head.

"The Midnight Reflection hasn't been showing up lately, but I feel like we shouldn't give up on the investigation," Kairi says.

"Oh, I think you should," a smug voice interjects.

I turn around and see Xion. "They know who the culprit is now. You're done, let the police do their job from now on."

"They figured out who the murderer is?" I ask him. "Who is it?"

"Some guy named Pence," he says. "They wouldn't give me a last name, but the one thing I do know is that he's a high school student like we are. They'll be revealing the culprit soon enough, I'm sure."

"A high school student?!" I'm surprised other people knew about the Mirror World.

"You know what this means, right?" Xion asks. "The little game you were playing is now over."

I stand up from my chair. "It was never a game to begin with. It seems like you're the one treating this like some sort of puzzle, so aren't you the one playing the game?"

"We're not playing around," Roxas says. "I lost someone close to me because of this." Did Roxas forget Larxene barely tolerated him? "And besides, we a have a little promise to keep with our friend over there." Roxas points to Donald.

Donald smiles. "You really mean that Roxas?"

"You think I'm playing, huh?" Xion asks. "Maybe to a certain degree, I am.

"Tell me, what's a hotshot detective like you slumming here with us anyway?" Yuffie asks. "Did they find the killer without you and tell you to hit the road?"

"They haven't caught the killer yet," Xion reveals. "They just know who it is and are after him. Got it? It's sad that once they're through with me, I have to move on, but that' just the way it goes. I'm used to it."

"Yeah, whatever," Riku says.

"Well, I must be going now." Xion walks away and leaves the food court.

"So it's all really over?" Kairi asks.

"I dunno," Roxas says. "If what he says is really true, then maybe it is."

Doesn't this mean the investigation is over? But… Is our group over?

No no no no! This group can't be finished! What'll happen if it really is? Will we stop hanging out? Will we stop being friends? Will we all just go back our separate ways?

Will I be alone again?

"You okay Sora?" Riku asks. "You have a weird look on your face."

"Peachy," I tell him as I try to hide my panic. "Just peachy."

* * *

**July 26, 2015**  
**Time of Day: Noon**  
**Weather: Sunny**  
**Place: Destiny Islands- Public Park**

All day I've been hearing gossip about about how the cops found out who the murderer is. I went to the park, because it seemed like the quietest place outside of my house. Sadly, it seems that what Xion said is true…

Sadly…

Sadly?

Why am I sad that they found out who was behind the serial killings? Isn't this a good thing, that a killer has been identified? Why can't I just be happy about it? I can be done with being in life threatening situations and live a normal life.

But I feel like the investigation has become something normal to think about for quite some time. If it just ends now, how long is it going to take me to get used to it? How fast will everyone else get over it?

"Hey." I look up and see Kairi. Her arms are crossed and she's got a slightly upset look on her face, with her lips pursed. She looks to the sky, as if trying to formulate her thoughts. She's tapping the ground with her left foot frantically.

"Hey."

"What's got you down?"

"It's nothing really."

Kairi sits down next to me. "Your face doesn't seem to be telling the same story."

"Great, now I know two people that can read my emotions." I sigh. "I'm just thinking about how everything is over now."

"Isn't that good that it's over?"

"Yeah, but…" I think for a moment. I have to get into the mind of Xion right now. As an ace detective, what would a person like him think about once a case is over? All he said was that the cops knew who it was, and they wouldn't tell him anything else…

He also said that it'd be a matter of time before they reveal who the killer was! Wouldn't they show him on TV? As an added plus, it's supposed to rain tonight.

I take out my phone. I start texting everyone in our group.

"What's got you so ecstatic?" Kairi asks.

"None of this is over just yet."

"How are you so sure?"

"I'm not. It's just a feeling that I had. If this is going to end, it's going to end with us meeting with the killer in the other world." Not only that, but I get one last memory with my friends if we really do split up! Hopefully I'm not freaking Kairi out though with my random- Holy shit.

For the first time in a month, Kairi was smiling at me. Come to think of it, this is the longest she's talked to me in forever.

"Why the smile?" I ask. "Because I certainly know why I may be."

"Because you seem to be happier than how you've been these past couple days."

"Am I now? Well I should be now that we have a good lead. Now we'll be able to truly stop the culprit!" I start running back to my house.

"Where are you going?" Kairi asks.

"I'm going home to watch some news!"

I look back at my phone as I run and send my message to my friends.

_Not over yet!_

_Rain 2nite, check Reflection._

_Solve dis case 4 seal!_

DAMN YOU AUTOCORRECT!

_*real_

* * *

**Time of Day: Midnight**  
**Weather: Rainy**  
**Place: Dojima Residence**

C'mon, c'mon! I saw the guy on the news! It's also raining outside, so those are both of the requirements filled. Why can't the clock go any faster?!

I look toward my clock and I'm seconds away from being proved right or wrong.

5…

4…

3…

2…

1…

A yellow light appears in my mirror. It shows Pence, Namine's stalker, the guy who fought my cousin for milk, and the culprit behind the murders.

Pence starts to laugh psychotically. "So now you want to pay attention to me, eh? Do you even know who the hell I am?" Pence laughs more. "Then catch me if you can!" The light fades away.

I turn on my phone, and see texts from everyone saying they're ready to head into the Mirror World right now in order to get this over with.

I type in a short message and grab my glasses before I sneak out my window.

_Let's finish this!_

* * *

**I feel like a dick for stopping things here, right before Sora and the Investigation Crew head into the Mirror World. It's good that things will start to get even better next chapter, so make sure to keep track of my updates!**

**My reason of making Pence a bad guy? I dunno, I just felt like it. I didn't want to choose someone that was already evil in the KH games. I wanted to pick someone you normally don't think as bad.**

**And no, I'm not saying fat people are evil. BTW, Xion is a guy, that wasn't a typo.**

**Anyway, my school year is ending and summer vacation is coming up. I feel that normally that'd be good for fanfiction writers (Who are in school), but in my case it isn't so great.**

**I write my chapters on the laptop my school provides for me, and I have to give it back at the end of the year. What this means is, I'll either need to find another PC/Laptop to work on, or take a long hiatus for the summer. Hopefully it's not the latter, but it might come to that. I just want to let it be known that during the summer, chapters may or may not come out as fast due to the situation I'll be in.**

**Anyway, thanks for reading this chapter, and see you next chapter! (Whenever the hell that will be) Who knows, maybe I'll find a good temporary replacement for my laptop. That, or spend my entire summer at my local library and overuse the computers there until I get kicked out.**


	13. Bonds

**Chapter 13: Bonds**

**Time of Day: ?  
****Weather: Foggy  
****Place: The Velvet Room**

"Why hello there, Sora," Igor greets. "Welcome to the Velvet Room."

A blue card appears in a warm light, hovering over Margaret's book. "With your new bond, you have awakened the Star Arcana," she informs me as the card slowly descends onto her book. Margaret opens the book and shows a picture of Donald on one page, and a card on it.

"Now then," Igor speaks. "Your story is drawing toward its climax." Climax? You mean everything won't be over after our fight? "As such, I imagine several surprises are in store."

"A thick fog awaits you at your fated crossroad." Margaret faces me with serious eyes. "Do not let it deceive you into believing that an illusion is reality."

"Defeat isn't the only thing that can bring your story to an end." Igor grins. "You might want to remember that."

Darkness shrouds my eyes as the Velvet Room fades away.

* * *

**July 27, 2015  
Time of Day: Noon  
Weather: Cloudy  
Place: Destiny Islands- Public Park**

"Ooh! Ooh! I have an idea!" Donald yells. "We should have a party to celebrate!"

"Where would we have one, though?" I ask. After finally defeating the culprit behind the murders, we were thinking of ways to celebrate it. "What about Namine's place? Didn't you say that there were saunas there?"

"I'd love to have you guys stay at the inn, but sadly it's tourist season, so a lot of people are staying at the inn." Namine starts to twiddle her thumbs. "Sorry."

"No need to apologize," Yuffie says. "Why not have it at one of our houses?"

"Why not have it at your house, Sora?" Roxas asks.

"Why mine?" Roxas' suggestion just screams ulterior motive.

"That way I can just leave when it's over and won't have to help." Roxas gives a cheeky grin.

"Lazy much?" Riku asks jokingly.

"Took the words right out of my mouth." I laugh.

"Why not?" Kairi asks. "Plus, I don't think I've met the cute little Usagi, as Yuffie puts it."

"She is adorable," Yuffie says in a matter-of-fact way.

Roxas stands up. "So, anyone who wants to have the party at Sora's, raise your hand!" Everyone but me raises their hand.

"Do I not get a say in this?" I ask. "Ugh, fine. But Namine and Yuffie aren't cooking!"

* * *

**Time of Day: Afternoon  
Weather: Cloudy  
Place: Dojima Residence**

"What happened to Namine?" I ask Yuffie.

"Her family called saying they need a bunch of help back at the inn, so she had to go back home." Yuffie continues to play with Usagi's cheeks and Kairi plays with her ears.

"We should probably have the celebration at another time then," Riku suggests.

"Aww, and I wanted to celebrate…" Donald blows on his noise maker sadly.

"Well, what really matters is that the case is actually closed," I say.

"We've been through a lot, but now we can get back to our normal lives," Kairi says. "I wanna forget about all the dark stuff that's been happening."

"It's probably safe on the other side too, so I'll be heading back into my world," Donald says.

Riku slumps in his chair. "I guess we're all going our separate ways now."

"Geez, way to think negatively," I say to him. "We can all meet up again."

"Sounds good to me." Roxas grins.

"Same here!" Yuffie says.

* * *

**August 16, 2015  
Time of Day: Noon  
Weather: Sunny  
Place: Moogle Co.- Food Court**

"So has there been any news since Pence was caught?" Riku asks.

"No, I haven't heard anything," I tell him.

"It's like everyone forgot about the case, with the way no one mentions it anymore," Kairi says.

"Oh my, I need to get going!" Namine gets up from her seat. "See you guys later!"

"See ya!" Yuffie waves her friend good bye.

"The inn must be really busy that Namine barely gets any time to hang out with us." I sigh. "But it's great that everything is back to normal."

"We never did go anywhere for summer vacation," Kairi said sadly.

"Dude, we went to the beach so many times I lost count," Roxas says.

"Yeah, but that's different. We practically all live by a beach, so it's not like we went anywhere," Yuffie says. "Maybe next year we can go somewhere!"

"I won't be here next year, remember?" Yeah, it kinda sucks that I have to leave. "I'm going to miss you guys so much when I have to leave."

"We'd miss you too Sora," Roxas says.

"Well it's not like we'd be separated forever," Yuffie says. "You could visit us occasionally."

"We could just Skype each other online," Riku suggests.

"That too." I smile. Even if I do leave, I'd know that we'd all stay friends!

* * *

**August 27, 2015  
Time of Day: Noon  
Weather: Sunny  
Place: Destiny Islands- Amagi Inn**

"Hey Namine, how's it going?" I dodge the a woman pushing a cart around.

"I'm busy now Sora, so can you make it quick?" Namine has a clipboard in her hand. She's jotting things down like, _Room 5 needs cleaning, Room 9 needs food, _and other inn related things.

"We just wanted to know why you're not coming to hang out with us anymore,"

As we enter the main hall of the inn, Namine turns and faces me. "Sora, don't you what's going on here? It's too busy for me to be able to be with everyone."

"Can't you ask your mom to have someone take your place?"

"I can't do that either."

"Why not?"

"Because, I'm the one who's going to inherit this place. I have to take my time to learn how to run this place."

"So you can't even call or text Yuffie? She's worried about you."

"She's worried, but she at least understands why I'm doing this. If the rest of you can't understand that, then just leave me alone."

Namine's words pierce my heart like an icy dagger. Before I can say anything to her, she walks away without remorse.

* * *

**September 8, 2015  
Time of Day: Night  
Weather: Cloudy  
Place: The Secret Place Restaurant**

Oh my god, this food is so good. Riku walks in talking with Seifer. Maybe I should say hello...

"Seriously?" Seifer asks.

"Yeah, there's not even a reason to meet up anymore!" Riku tells him. "And it's a pain having to talk and act nice around them, when I'm just flat out bored."

Seifer laughs. "You guys sound like a married couple that's grown bored of each other."

"Hey, I'm asking for advice on what to do, not snarky comments from the peanut gallery!"

"Calm down you weirdo. Just tell them that you don't wanna hang out you big chickenwuss."

"Will you stop calling me that!" Riku turns his head away from Seifer, and a slightly shocked expression appears on his face. He gets up from his chair and walks up to me. "So let me guess, you heard everything didn't you?" He has a slightly annoyed tone to his voice.

"Yeah, I did."

"Listen, it's not that it's a pain, but-"

"If you go tired of us, you should have just stopped coming."

"What?"

"All I'm saying is that I'd rather have someone tell me that I'm a pain, rather than lying about it. If you don't want to be with us, just leave. I honestly don't even care."

"Oh… Okay then." Riku walks away awkwardly.

Regret starts to fill my heart. Why did I saw that to him? Was it just out of blind anger? Here I am saying that I want everyone to be together, but then I drive one of my friends away!

* * *

**September 21, 2015  
Time of Day: Noon  
Weather: Sunny  
Place: Destiny Islands- Paopu Pastries**

"So she actually did leave the Islands." Roxas takes a bite of a muffin. "Does that mean the rumors were true?"

"Yeah, but not all of them," I tell him.

"What do you mean? Did she talk to you before she left?"

"Yeah. She explained the rumors of her getting back into showbiz were true, but she was launching a solo career, not going back to her band."

"Why'd she tell only you then?" Roxas frowns. "What about us?"

"She said that the less people who knew, the better. I was allowed to tell you guys once she left."

"Makes sense. But it's not like there's many people to tell now. Just me and Yuffie."

"Yeah… Without Riku and Namine, the group just doesn't feel whole anymore... Wait, how come just you and Yuffie? What about Donald?"

"He didn't tell you yet?" Roxas asks. "He's going back into his world."

"So, he's leaving too? Looks like it's just the three of us again..." God… It's like the only thing that kept everyone together were the murders.

I tried not to give it too much thought, mostly because I would always cower in the face of the truth, but I guess that this union only had a foundation of strict business. I would always try to pin it as something that was manifested from friendship, but as soon as things start going back to normal, it's like we're completely disbanded.

I was getting used to their smiles. I loved how accepting they were and that I could be myself without some kind of fear of rejection. Maybe I was just kidding myself to keep myself happy.

We didn't come together because of friendship, or because we liked each other… we were bound by a common goal that resonated through each individual. Once that was accomplished, all's said and done.

This is bullshit! I thought what we had was something special. I thought we could have something more than a simple association.

Makes me wonder what friendship actually is.

* * *

**October 10, 2015  
Time of Day: Evening  
Weather: Cloudy  
Place: Moogle Co.- Food Court**

"How do you guys think Donald is right now?" I ask.

"Hm? Why do you ask?" Roxas sits down, ripping off his white and red employee vest. "It's been a couple weeks since he left, so what's the point of talking about it?"

"I dunno, I just think about how he's doing from time to time. And plus, we never did find out who he really was."

"Donald said he'd handle it," Yuffie says.

"Would you guys ever want to go back there and visit him?" I ask.

"Why would we?" Roxas asks. "We don't really have a reason to."

"True… Hey Yuffie, have you talked to Namine recently?"

"Can you please not ask me that Sora? I don't want to talk about her," Yuffie hisses.

Silence ensues, and it takes a few moments before I clear the lump in my throat and speak again. "Sorry."

"It's okay," Yuffie says. "It's just… it's hard, you know? I don't think I even remember a time when Namine and I weren't always on the same page." She brushes her fingertips against her arms. "It's weird not having her around."

Roxas rolls his eyes. "You know, it's hard to take your side when you still won't even tell us what happened."

"Hold on, wait a minute, who said that was any of your business anyway?" Yuffie spits back.

Okay, Yuffie's easily heated temper is not something you play around with. I don't know what the hell Roxas is trying to accomplish, but he'd better hope Yuffie doesn't whoop him straight into a gurney. "That's not what Roxas meant."

Roxas gives me an odd look.

"Look, Yuffie," I start, "it's just that we're your friends, you know? We want to know what's up with you guys because it's not cool seeing the band so broken up like this."

"Right, 'band'." Yuffie scoffs.

"What the hell is your problem?" Roxas says, the anger etched in his tone. "I don't know what you did to Namine, but there's no reason you can't just confide in us."

"What _I _did to Namine?" she asks, looking appalled. "I should have fucking knew it. You guys are siding with her, aren't you? And who are you to talk to me in any sort of way you like? It's my business, now stay out it!"

My fists clench involuntarily. She's hiding something. Not sure what could be so bad that she can't just tell us, her supposed best friends. But Yuffie's always been persistently stubborn in these kinds of dilemmas. "Just leave us in the dark, huh?" I ask, standing up. "Friends aren't supposed to keep secrets, Yuffie! I thought-"

"Thought what, Sora? Thought that my life and decisions are supposed to meet your every wish and command just because we're 'friends'? Namine is gone! Deal with it!" Yuffie stands up and heads toward the exit. "I'm going to go clear my head."

"You don't have to be so bitchy about it!" Roxas says.

"Fuck off!" Yuffie flips him off and heads out the door.

Great job, Sora. You pissed off Yuffie. About a week ago, Yuffie and Namine got into a fight. Roxas and I had no idea what went on during the fight, but the two of them haven't been talking to each other. I just thought they'd be over it already considering they've been best friends since they were little.

"What's her problem?" Roxas asks.

"No, it was my fault," I groan. "I shouldn't have asked her."

* * *

**October 29, 2015  
Time of Day: Night  
Weather: Rain  
Place: Dojima Residence **

"Hey big bro, how come no one comes over anymore?" Usagi asks. "Wouldn't it be fun if we all could go trick or treating?"

"Yeah, it would be…" Lately, we haven't met with each other at all. No one comes over to my house, and we don't go out with each other after school. I haven't talked to Roxas for a while. All I know is that he's sick of my sulking about everyone leaving.

I go up to my room, and just lie down on my bed. For days, all I've been doing is staying in my room. Hell, even Zack has commented on it.

"_All you're doing is taking up space in my house!" A drunk Zack says. "If I knew you'd become a lazy-ass shut in, I wouldn't have had you live here in the first place!"_

So what if I am a shut in? It's just like before I moved here. I'm just-

"_Another face in the crowd?"_

A breeze sweeps over my skin. The answer is plain in front of my face, yet I constantly refuse to admit it. All this time, I've relied so much on their company that I failed to realize my self worth. Maybe it was all just a dream that's finally met its rest.

To think, I actually thought our friendship had weight to it. Maybe I was the only one who took our bond seriously… assuming there was a bond there to begin with.

Yeah…

"_Face it Sora, you're no one and you have no one. The friendships you had were all just illusions."_

I don't have anyone… They weren't really my friends… My eyes meet a pair of golden eyes. The eyes belonged to someone with my face… A Heartless?

"_Don't fight me, Sora. Just fall into the empty darkness,"_

A swirling pool of darkness appears under me. It's slowly swallowing me from the ground up. I'm not even trying to fight it… I have no reason to...

"_Any bond you had has surely been broken. Just rest. You must realize that all bonds break at one point." _My Heartless places his hand on my face, pushing me down even further.

I'm down to my neck in the pool of darkness. I can't feel my body anymore as my head is slowly consumed, I close my eyes and give in.

.

.

.

_S…_

_So…_

_Sora!_

A light appears in front of me. It's… warm. I clutch it in the heat of the moment. It isn't long before I'm blinded by a severe light.

* * *

**June 28, 2015  
Time of Day: ?  
Weather: Foggy  
Place: Mirror World**

In a flash, I'm met with Kairi's worried gaze. "Sora! Thank god!" She starts sobbing as she pulls me into a hug.

"W… What happened to me?" God, my head hurts like a bitch.

"We were fighting Pence's Heartless," Roxas points at a knight made up of blocks. Namine, Donald, and Riku are fighting him off with their Personas. "And you were hit in the head."

"You were out for like 10 minutes," Yuffie says. "We haven't been able to do much damage, mainly because were were trying to defend you."

"Sorry..."

"No need to apologize," Yuffie says. "That's what friends are for!"

"Friends… Thank you, guys."

"If anything, you need to thank Kairi," Roxas tells me. "She's the one who was by your side healing you."

"Really? Thanks, Kairi."

Kairi starts to tear up. "Idiot! I thought you died!"

"Well I think we all know you would have killed me if I did." I laugh. I try to get up slowly, but my knees buckle under my weight.

"Woah, easy there." Roxas props me up on his shoulders. I slowly attempt to stand up. "What the hell have you been eating man?"

"Oh shut up," I slap his back. "You're not the one who's been unconscious. Now if you'll excuse me…"

I slowly extend my hand and my Arcana appears in a warm blue flame, reignited by the fire in my heart. "**PERSONA!"** I shatter the card, and Izanagi appears in a blue light. He immediately attacks the Heartless, destroying any incoming blocks.

"We have to destroy the outer shell first!" Namine informs me.

"Okay!" Izanagi slashes with the keyblade until the Heartless' true form is revealed. It's a floating baby with a small body and a large head with bloodshot yellow eyes. Weird.

The Heartless starts to rebuild its defenses when Riku's Persona blocks any incoming blocks from forming the shell. "Not on my watch!"

Suddenly everyone else's Personas appear and block any incoming blocks from defending the Heartless.

"Sora, it's all up to you at this point!" Donald encourages me.

"You can do it!" Namine and Yuffie say.

"Kick this guy's ass!" Riku yells.

"Make sure to make him see stars!" Kairi cheers.

"I'll let you have the final blow!" Roxas grins.

Everyone encourages me with all their heart. What that Heartless said to me in my dream is slowly being replaced with the warmth of our friendship.

"Go! Merlin!" Izanagi disappears and is replaced by an old man with a long silver beard and blue cloaks. He raises his staff and thunder strikes the Heartless.

"Ice Queen!" A blizzard consumes the dragon and a pale woman in an icy blue dress takes his place. She points at the Heartless and it instantly freezes.

"Red Dragon!" The woman burst into flame and a flying red dragon sends fireballs at the Heartless shattering its frozen prison.

"Beast!" A large beast with brown fur and horn replaces the woman. He jumps onto the blocks and lunges at the enemy. The Heartless then starts throwing a tantrum, crying and sending some of our Personas back at us.

"Just how many Personas have you been hiding from us?!" Roxas asks.

"Genie!" A blue man in a turban and vest with large arms and a wisp instead of legs appears. She raises both arms and a sandstorm launches the Heartless into the air.

"Queen of Hearts!" The fairy is replaced by a short woman holding a flamingo. She screams. "_Off with its head!" _and card soldiers appear. They pile up and throw the Heartless onto the ground.

"Izanagi!" Izanagi appears and summons his keyblade. He points it at the dazed Heartless, and a beam of light pierces it, defeating the enemy.

I fall onto my knee. "God… That was tiring!" I'm certainly not going to have any trouble sleeping tonight. Kairi speeds to my side. "No… It's okay, doing all of that was just really taxing"

Pence starts to squirm, and then he suddenly wakes up.

"Who are you guys?" he asks.

"We're here to catch you," Riku tells him. "You're the one who committed the murders and the police are after your ass."

Pence starts to laugh. "That's right, I did it! I killed them! I killed them all!"

Behind us, Pence's Heartless fades away into wisps of darkness.

"What the heck? His Heartless just vanished!" Yuffie says.

"Finally!" Pence laughs even more. "That bastard is finally gone!"

* * *

**Time of Day: Early Morning  
Weather: Cloudy  
Place: Dojima Residence**

So is everything really over?

I wonder what's going to happen to Pence?

Would our circle of friends really break apart?

Maybe I should ask Kairi out on a date. I kinda owe her for staying by me the entire time.

Why the hell am I going into deep thought on my roof? It's cliche as hell!

After we left the Mirror World, Riku walked Pence to the Police Station. And by walked, I mean he dragged his unconscious ass there. Yuffie knocked him out because he was creeping on Namine. Again.

"Hey, what the hell are you doing up there?" I look down at the ground and see Zack. He must have come back from the police station.

"I dunno. Just thinking about things, I guess."

"What kind of things?"

"The things that a normal teenager thinks about."

Zack gives a small laugh. "Makes sense. Just make sure not to fall off, your mom would kill me." He enters the house.

I doubt a normal teenager would dream about all of his friends leaving him. I don't ever want that to happen. Ever. Come to think of it… I go back inside and go downstairs to see Zack drinking some coffee.

"You want some?" He asks.

"Sure." Zack hands me a cup. I take a sip. "Ugh, too bitter."

"That's because I like mine black."

"It tastes like dirt." Zack gives me a small laugh. "Hey Zack, did you… Did you ever regret having me live here?"

"Huh? Why would you ask that?"

"I dunno… I was just thinking that you've been busy at work, and now suddenly there's an extra mouth to feed. I just…"

"Don't say anymore." Zack smiles. "I don't regret having you live here. If anything, I'm thankful. You're taking care of your cousin, something I wish I could do. I… I haven't seen her smile this much since her mom died."

"Really?"

"Yeah... So, thank you." Zack pulls me into a hug. "Now, go to bed. You need some sleep. I'm gonna hit the hay, so goodnight."

I smile at him. "Yeah, goodnight."

* * *

**July 30, 2015**  
**Time of Day: Afternoon  
Weather: Sunny  
Place: Moogle Co.- Food Court**

"I heard he confessed to everything and they're wrapping everything up now," Roxas informs us. "When he was asked the reason, he said he just wanted the attention."

"That's horrible!" Namine says.

"It's not like having a reason would make it any better, but you're right," Yuffie agrees.

"I guess that means we should just leave the rest of this to the police," I suggest. We decided to meet here after resting for a couple days.

"Yeah, that's all we can do at this point." Riku takes a drink of his soda.

"So, I guess peace has been restored," Kairi says.

"Everything in my world should be better now," Donald says. "But doesn't that mean everything is over now? Like us using our Personas and meeting up like this?"

I slam my hand on the table. "No!" Everyone stares at me with confused and worried looks. "Sorry."

Roxas laughs a little. "You really think we'd all just separate like that? It's summer vacation, dude!"

"Yeah, we have to spend it with each other!" Yuffie adds.

"We should think of ways to celebrate!" Kairi suggests.

I smile. Why was I worried to begin with? Deep down, I probably knew we'd stay together. I guess that my past made me think of only the negative side of things. "In that case, how about we celebrate at my place!"

Everyone agrees happily. This is going to be a fun summer vacation!

* * *

**And I am back from my Hiatus! Sorry for those I kept waiting, I was enjoying my Summer. Near the end of June, I attempted to work on this chapter, but scrapped it because I didn't like it. Around the beginning of August I started to work on the chapter again.**

**One thing I just want to point out is that when Sora summoned all of those Personas one after the other, each one represented the bond he has with each friend.**

Roxas (Magician Arcana)- Merlin  
Namine (Priestess Arcana)- Ice Queen  
Yuffie (Chariot Arcana)- Red Dragon  
Riku (Emperor Arcana)- Beast  
Donald (Star Arcana)- Genie  
Kairi (Lovers Arcana)- Queen of Hearts

**Anyway, I'm going to be working on the next chapter as soon as I'm given my laptop from school. So just sit tight until then. Sora's long awaited summer vacation will begin! (Which is ironic considering mine is gonna end)**


	14. Summer Vacation Pt 1

**Chapter 14: Summer Vacation Part 1**

**Time of Day: ?  
Weather: ?  
Place: The Velvet Room**

"Why hello there, Sora," Igor greets. "Welcome to the Velvet Room."

I take a look at my surroundings. The Velvet Room looks completely different. It's not the same limousine full of expensive alcohol and stuff like that. It's a large open blue room, and Igor is sitting on a velvet Victorian couch. Behind him is what seems to be old-fashioned elevator doors. Even the table in the limo, which was just small, is now a large round one.

"Uh, Igor? Why is the Velvet Room a huge elevator?" I ask. "A boring-looking one at that."

"Oh, our normal place is being cleaned," He says in a matter-of-factly way.

"So what you're saying is that a place between mind and matter, consciousness and unconsciousness, reality and dreams, needs to be cleaned?" I ask.

"Wow, I'm surprised you remembered what Master Igor said to you on your first day with him!" A woman suddenly appears next to the couch. She's holding a book similar to Margaret's, has white hair in a bob cut, and is wearing a blue sleeveless dress. She has a small blue hat that looks like something a bellhop would wear.

"Umm, who's that?" I ask.

"That's not important," she says. "All you need to know is that I'm taking my older sister's place for the day. She's currently taking a break and will return to her duties next time you come to the Velvet Room." The woman smiles. "Plus, you won't see me again after today, so why bother?" Compared to Margaret, her sister is much more cheery and bubbly. "

"Okayyy…" Looks like even mysterious secretaries need to take a break every once in awhile. Where'd she go to, a casino? Probably, considering they use cards there too!

"Speaking of breaks," Igor says. "After that climactic fight you had, a well deserved break is without question."

"Time may be of the essence, but knowing when to take a break is just as important," the woman says.

The large doors behind them open, filling the area with a blinding light.

* * *

**July 30, 2015**  
**Time of Day: Night  
Weather: Clear Skies  
Place: Dojima Residence**

"Why'd you let them cook the food?" Roxas asks.

"I didn't!" I tell him. "Yuffie and Namine just started to cook stuff and wouldn't let me stop them!"

"I don't get it, what's so wrong with their cooking?" Donald asks.

"Oh yeah, you weren't here when those two gave Roxas food poisoning," Riku says.

"It's ready!" Yuffie calls out.

When we got to my house to celebrate our victory, Yuffie and Namine started to cook. I attempted to stop them so Zack wouldn't have to come home and find a dead body, but alas, Yuffie stopped any attempt of me kicking them out of my kitchen. Kairi went to join them, so hopefully she's able to cook. She works at a bakery, so it'd make sense. Right?

"Yay! Omelettes!" Usagi cheers.

"Omelettes?" I say. "You're making breakfast for dinner?"

"It's not our fault your house had like 3 dozen eggs," Kairi says.

"In our defense, we buy stuff in bulk," I tell her.

The three of them bring their omelettes. Each one looks different for some reason. Namine's has a weird white coloration to it, Yuffie's looks like a regular omelette, and… Kairi's is completely orange.

"Kairi, what the hell is with your omelette?" I ask her.

"It's a secret!" She says in a sing-song voice. Oh god help us. "Sora, why don't you taste it?" Oh god help _me._

"Do I have to?" I ask. She glares at me. "Fine... Gimme a fork."

My hand slowly shakes toward the plate in front of me. I cut a piece off, and even the inside of the omelette is orange! "Bon appetit…" I stuff the egg in my mouth, and feel nothing but a burning sensation. My mouth and my tongue quickly start to become numb. I don't even taste any eggs! I swallow to get it over with, and gulp down some water.

"Soooo, how was it?" Kairi asks with a smug grin.

"I can't feel my mouth," I rasp. There's a powerful burning sensation in my throat. It just keeps on getting worse and worse. "What did you put in that monster?"

Kairi pouts. "Hmph! It's a taste too subtle for kids! You have to be mature in order to fully experience my cooking's full potential!" Kairi starts to cry.

"Stop it with the fake crying, drama queen!" Yuffie says. "That's what you get for gloating even before we started cooking."

Kairi stops crying immediately. Looks like she really was faking it. "At least now we know you can act," I comment. Kairi sits down, still pouting. Looks like she's the type that doesn't take defeat well…

"Okay, looks like I'm up next!" Namine says. She puts the plate in front of Riku.

"Huh?" Riku's eyes bulge out. "Why me?!"

"Please…" Namine gives puppy dog eyes.

Riku starts to blush. Dammit man, be strong! Don't fall for the witch's tricks! Riku stuffs a piece of omelette in his mouth.

"So, how does it taste?" Namine asks.

Riku chews with a sour look on his face. "That's the thing… I don't taste anything."

"What?" Namine has a surprised look on her face.

"I'm being serious." Riku swallows. "There's literally no flavor."

Namine's face fills with embarrassment. "Your tastes just aren't refined as mine!"

"Well, looks like I'm up!" Yuffie says cheerfully.

"Ooh, I'll taste this one!" Donald raises his hand. He takes the plate, and eats part of the omelette.

"It it good?" Roxas asks. His face is full of concern. He should just be happy he didn't have to taste anything. My throat is still burning.

"Wow!" he says in a surprised voice. "This tastes awful!"

"Then why were you so misleading about it?!" Yuffie asks.

I get out of my seat. "Looks like I'll just have to make or order something myself I guess. What do you want to eat Usagi?"

"Huh, umm…" She starts twiddling her thumbs. "I'm fine with anything I guess."

"You're just being modest," I say. "Now c'mon, what do you really want?"

Usagi taps her chin, as if going into deep thought. Her cheeks stretch as a smile creeps onto her lips. "How about you make an omelette!"

"Okay!" I smile.

"These better be good Sora," Roxas tells me. "We haven't had any casualties so far, so I'm hoping that you do good."

"I'll try to!" I start to gather my ingredients. Once everything is gathered, I start to cook everything. After a couple minutes, I arrive at the table with my omelette. It looks pretty good if I do say so myself.

"Wow, yours actually looks normal!" Roxas praises me.

"So did mine," Yuffie mumbles angrily.

"How about you be my taste tester Usagi?" I ask.

"Sure!" She smiles as she takes the plate and fork from me. She cuts a piece off, and puts it in her mouth. Her entire face lights up. "It's amazing!"

"Lemme try." Roxas cuts a piece of the omelette and eats it. "It's actually good! What's you put in it?"

"Potatoes, bacon, sausage, and shredded cheese." I smile. "Would you be even more impressed if I told you I winged all of this?"

"Impressive," Riku says. "Now are you going to make some for us, or what? I'm hungry."

Making my way back into the kitchen, I start preparing a meal for the rest of the gang. After a good half hour or so, everyone's food is ready. They all eat it heartily, with Donald practically inhaling his!

Everyone is having their own tiny conversations with each other. One thing I notice is that Donald has been talking to Usagi.

"Looks like I'll have to go back to my world now…" he says sadly.

"Huh? How come?" Usagi asks.

"Well, everyone else kept their promise to help me clear my world of the bad guys." Donald sighs. "That means I'll have to go back…"

"Why don't you make a promise with me then?"

"What do ya mean?"

"Promise me that you'll come play!" Usagi smiles and holds her pinky out.

Donald's face lights up. "Sure!" He wraps his pinky around hers.

"Cross my heart and hope to die, stick a needle in my eye!" They chant in unison.

Donald turns to me. "So Sora, is it okay that I stay here longer?"

"Why would you even ask?" I question him. "Of course you can!"

"Really? Thanks!" He goes back to talking with Usagi.

Everyone stays until late night. We all agreed that'd we'd do something together at one point, but for now we'd all just get some r&amp;r for a couple days.

* * *

**July 31, 2015**  
**Time of Day: Noon  
Weather: Sunny  
Place: Destiny Islands- Beach**

As I walk down the beach, basking in the warm sunlight, I notice Riku wading through the tide pools in the rocky area of the beach. He keeps on dipping his arms underwater, and a small boy is watching him.

"Hey Riku!" I yell to get his attention. He looks over in my direction and waves. As I get closer, I notice the small boy's eyes are bloodshot and his nose is red. "What's going on?"

"I'm trying to find this boy's chocobo plushie." Riku continues to sift through the underwater rocks.

I turn to the boy. "How'd it end up in the tide pool?"

The boy sniffs. "I was playing with it and I tripped and it fell and… and…" The boy starts to cry. "My big sister will hate me when she finds out!"

"Aww, don't cry." I pat his head. "I'll help find it. You okay with that Riku?"

"Hm? Uh, yeah. Sure." It seems that Riku is really determined to find the plushie. I take off my shoes, and walk into the tide pool.

After a while of sifting through rocks and me getting pinched by a crab, Riku gets out of the tide pool. "What's wrong? Why'd you get out?" I ask.

He turns to the boy. "Listen kid, I think your plushie was lost during high tide. There's no way we'll be able to find it here." The boy starts to cry again. "Do you ever stop crying? It's fine, I can just make you a new one."

"Really?" The boy sniffs.

"Yeah, I can. Just follow me to my place." Riku slips on some sandals. "You coming too Sora?"

"Oh hey, you acknowledged my existence!" Seriously, the entire time I was helping him look, it's like he didn't even know I was here. "But yeah, I'll come."

* * *

**Time of Day: Noon  
Weather: Sunny  
Place: Riku's House**

"I actually just realized something." I say to Riku as he creates the boy's new plushie.

"And what is that?" Riku cuts some thread with his teeth.

"Haven't you done something like this before? You know, like right before you got your Persona."

Riku stops sewing for a second. "Oh yeah, you're right. Guess I just forgot."

"You know, you're a really kind person," I tell him. "Even if you are kinda the quiet one in our group."

Riku turns toward me and smiles. "Thanks. I'm actually surprised you guys even deal with me. You know, with like everyone in this town thinking I'm some thug."

"They're just judging a book by its cover," I assure him.

"Their opinion of me doesn't matter anymore." Riku gets out of his chair. "Anyway, I'm done. Wanna take a look?"

"Sure!" I walk toward his table. In the middle of a bunch of thread, cotton stuffing, and scissors there are two chocobo plushies. One has a ballerina motif to it, and the other has a struggle bat held in one of its wings. "Woah." Each plushie was extremely intricate. "But why are there two?"

"I thought I might make one for the kid." Riku shrugs. "Just to cheer him up." We walk out of Riku's room and into his living room. The boy is sitting down quietly, but when he sees the dolls, his face brightens immediately.

"Wow! Those are amazing!" The boy jumps out of his seat, and rushes to Riku.

"Here, this one is for your sis." He hands him the ballerina chocobo. "Make sure you tell her the truth about what happened, and for her to take this as an apology."

"Sure!" The boy's gaze shifts to the other plushie. "Who is that for?"

"This one…" He hands the boy the other doll. "Is for you." He gives the kid a warm smile.

"Really? Thanks mister!" He smiles.

"Please don't call me that." Riku blushes in embarrassment. "I'm not even that old. Anyway, off you go."

"Okay then!" The boy runs to Riku's house door. "Thanks again!"

* * *

**August 1, 2015**  
**Time of Day: Afternoon  
Weather: Sunny  
Place: Destiny Islands Streets**

"So have you heard from that kid from yesterday?" I ask Riku.

"Not yet," he says. "But from the way he acted, he seemed super happy."

"Great job. Maybe I'll come to you when I need to get a suit altered," I tease him.

"Oh shaddup." We both laugh.

Two officers walk up to us out of nowhere. "Riku Tatsumi, right? I'd like to have a word with you," one cop says. He has a name tag that says David, and the other has one that says Haley.

"Yeah, well I wouldn't," Riku retorts.

"Come with us," Officer David says.

"Riku didn't do anything," I protest.

"Wait a minute… Aren't you one of the kids Riku here has been with lately?" Officer Haley asks. "So you're in cahoots."

"What's it to ya?" Riku asks. "It doesn't matter that we hang out."

"There have been a group of teenage bullies harassing younger kids," David explains. "We got a tip that you were threatening a child by the beach."

"A child?" Riku's face shifts into deep thought. "Oh, him."

"So you admit it?" David asks. "And not even a shred of remorse."

"It's all just a misunderstanding," I explain. "We were helping him out!"

"Oh really?" Haley asks. "Just come with us to the station. We'll get it settled there."

"We're telling you that we didn't do anything!" Riku says.

As Riku argues about our innocence, I see the boy from yesterday walking toward us. "Hey guys! What are you doing?"

"You know these boys, kid?" David asks.

"Did this boy ask you for anything?" Haley asks. "For instance, did he claim he lost his money?"

"You lost your money?" the boy asks innocently. "You can have some of mine if you want!" Please don't dig us a deeper grave, kid.

"Just as I thought…" David says.

"Hey, don't take the kid's words out of context!" I say to them. "What kinda cop even asks a kid those questions?"

"Anyway, my older sis made some cookies for them as thanks!" The boy holds up some tupperware. "I was going to drop them off at your house, but I just ran into you."

"Thanks? Thanks for what?" Haley and David both have confused looks on their faces.

"That guy made me and my sister some toys yesterday! He replaced the doll that I lost!" The boy goes onto describe how each one looked.

"You're saying Riku, this guy, made you dolls?" David asks.

"So what if I made some dolls?" Riku asks. "Lemme warn you, they were so cute that they'd instantly give you diabetes! Want me to teach you how to make 'em? Huh?!" Haley backs up from Riku's outburst.

Riku points at David. "You! You're about to say that ain't like me, right? Go ahead and laugh dammit! Like I even care, I'm used to being pointed at!"

"And you!" Riku turns to Haley. "That button is loose! You want me to sew it back on for ya?!" Riku continues to scream at the officers. Haley even put up _his_ arms! Even when talking about cutesy things, Riku isn't a guy you take lightly.

David sighs in defeat. "Fine, fine! You're not guilty!"

"Sorry for wasting your time…" Haley says grudgingly. The two officers walk away, clearly embarrassed at what just happened.

I turn to Riku. "You good now?"

"Yeah." Riku sighs and smiles proudly. "It felt good to get that off of my chest."

"Umm, mister?" The boy says.

Riku turns around. "I told you not to call me that, but what's up?"

"My older sis told her friends about what you made, and now they want you to teach them," the boy explains.

Riku blushes. "Really?"

"They said they'd even pay you!"

Riku waves his hands in front of him. "No, no, it's okay. I can teach 'em."

The boy's face brightens. "Really? Thanks! I'll go tell my sis!" The boy starts to run back from where he came. "Follow me!"

"Sure! Just, uh, give me a minute!" Riku says. "Are you coming, Sora?"

"Sewing and making dolls isn't really my forte," I tell him. "I think I'll just leave this to you."

"Okay then." Riku walks toward the boy. "See you later!"

"See ya!" I wave bye at the two. Riku's face is happy and peaceful, like he's finally at ease with who he really is. Now that that's over, maybe I'll just get some food before I go home… Oh yeah, that's right. Almost forgot.

I'm broke.

* * *

**August 2, 2015**  
**Time of Day: Evening  
Weather: Sunny  
Place: Moogle Co.- Food Court**

"Sorry I had to force you to help me with the sale today," Roxas apologizes

"Nah, it's okay," I tell him. "I needed money anyway."

"Didn't you say that your parents send you some every month?"

"Yeah, but with the girls cooking at my house, they used up a bunch of stuff. I had to buy the groceries myself."

"Ouch."

"Definitely."

As we talk, two girls walk up to us. It's definitely not to flirt with us, considering they have sour looks on their face. "What's with the crowd today?" one girl asks. "If I'd known it were this busy, I would've skipped."

"Please don't Shanelle." Roxas stands up. "You got a bonus for today, right?"

"Yeah, a whole 500 Munny!" The other girl says sarcastically. "I'm trying to save up! Give me a raise!"

"You know I'm not in charge of that stuff Yuko," Roxas says.

"What's the point then?" she asks. The two girls go someplace else.

"Talk about-" I'm interrupted by loud snooty gossip.

"Seriously, now my graduation trip gonna be somewhere in the country," Shanelle says. "I probably just get my parents to pay for it."

"Why don't you find a guy to pay for it?" Yuko asks her.

"Ha! Like Larxene did?" Shanelle says.

Roxas' eyes bulge at the snooty bitch's comment. He's biting his lip, as if he's stopping himself from retorting. "It's all just talk. I'm not letting it get to me." Roxas sighs. "It sucks to be talked like that though. I know she hated me and all, but at least we got the guy who killed her. So when people who know nothing about the situation talk like that, it doesn't matter."

"Woah, you sounded super mature," I complement.

Roxas smiles sheepishly. "Really out of character for me, I guess."

"Not really," I say. "People all have sides of them we don't exactly see."

* * *

**August 3, 2015**  
**Time of Day: Noon  
Weather: Cloudy  
Place: Moogle Co.- Food Court**

"Hey, Roxas!" Yuko yells at us. Roxas and I were just getting a quick bite to eat. Paid by him, of course. I'm still broke, and we're both on break.

"What is it today?" Roxas asks. He has an annoyed tone to his voice.

"How come Lightning got the day off and we can't?" Shanelle asks.

"Huh?" Roxas has a confused look.

"We told you before! We can't work on Saturdays!" Yuko says. "When we refused, they said they'd fire us! I don't get this!"

"Isn't it because you two have been taking absences without leave lately?" Roxas stands up.

"I-I just forgot to come…" she says. "That's not the point! What are you going to do about it? I have a date on Saturday!"

"Looks like you're favoring another employee," Shanelle says. "It's just like with Larxene!"

Roxas become shell-shocked. "...I don't think she has to do with anything in this conversation."

"Yeah, it does!" Yuko says. "Everyone knows you liked her, and treated her special!" The two girls continue to bitch about their problems and how Larxene hated Roxas. I can tell Roxas is holding in as much rage as he can right now.

"Will you two just shut the hell up?!" I interject. Roxas looks at me with a surprised look.

"Y-You shut up!" Shanelle says.

"No, you're the ones who should shut up!" Roxas says. "What do you know about Larxene? At least she didn't do things half-assed like you! She looked lazy, but she worked hard! She talked bad, but was actually a good person! So she hated me? I knew that! She's not here anymore, I'm left behind! So just please! LEAVE. ME. ALONE."

The girls, clearly surprised at my friend's outburst, leave silently.

Roxas inhales and exhales. "I just blurted out a buncha crap, didn't I?"

"You were just upset," I tell him.

"N-No, I was just…" Roxas melancholy smiles . "Thanks for standing up to me."

"No problem. What are friends for?"

"Yeah. Anyway, c'mon. Break's nearly over." As Roxas talks, I hear signs of disdain in his voice.

* * *

**August 4, 2015**  
**Time of Day: Evening  
Weather: Cloudy  
Place: Destiny Islands- Beach**

I arrive at the beach, greeted by a pensive Roxas. He's holding something in his hand.

"It's a picture Larxene took of me." Roxas must notice where my attention is focused. "She was part of the Photography Club. When I first got here, she insisted me on taking it."

I look at the picture. Roxas is walking down the beach with a bored look on his face. "Back then… Somewhere inside me, I thought I was above this place…"

"What do you mean?" I ask.

"A lot of people saw me as the enemy, because my dad's store was going to ruin the shopping district…" Roxas looks out to the sea. "But when I met her, she told me, 'Parents are parents. You're you.' Even if she didn't mean it, it made me really happy."

Roxas was sad that he moved here? That's the complete opposite of me, who wanted to come here and make some friends. I was hopeful, while he was full of despair.

"Because of her, I started to think maybe this town wasn't all that bad. But then…"

"She died?"

Roxas looks at me with a pained expression. "Why did she… Why'd she have to die? It pisses me off… It makes me mad!" Roxas starts pacing around on the sand. "I wanted to talk to her more! I wanted to get to know her better! But… She's not here anymore…" Roxas starts to sob out loud. "But… I think I get it now Sora."

"Get what?"

"I wanted to forget about her. How she's not here anymore…" Roxas rubs his eyes. "I wanted to forget that I was living a boring life in the boonies. When the murders started, I got excited and thought that I finally had a reason to be here. I thought I could forget that she's gone, and the fact that I was a total loser..."

"Roxas…"

"I'm sorry Larxene… I'm sorry Sora…"

"Don't apologize, Roxas."

"But I got you involved with the case, and all I did was run away from myself." Roxas looks at me with bloodshot eyes. "I think… I think that I'm finally awake now. I need to get over the fact that Larxene isn't coming back… I have nowhere else to run to now that the case is over and that I wouldn't have changed…" Roxas smiles at me. "You guys made me realize that. So, thank you."

"We don't need to be thanked Roxas," I tell him. "All that matters is that you've finally come to a resolve."

"Yeah…" Roxas nods. "I feel like for once, my heart is clear…"

* * *

**I'm back on my laptop, so the update will be coming! So as you can tell, summer vacation will be split into parts. This part covers Sora getting closer to the guys. In the second part, Sora will be getting closer to the girls. And the third part… Well, I'm just going to leave that one to the imagination. Originally, it was only supposed to be two parts, the parts being getting close to friends and the trip, but then I realized once I finished Roxas, that I was already on 10 pages.**

**I'll mostly be updating on weekends since I have school. I'm aiming toward a weekly update, to make up for lost time during summer. **

**Also, did anyone get the crab joke? **


	15. Summer Vacation Pt 2

**Chapter 15: Summer Vacation Part 2**

**Time of Day: ?**  
**Weather: Foggy**  
**Place: The Velvet Room**

"Why, hello there, Sora," Igor greets. "Welcome to the Velvet Room."

"Looks like we're back in the regular Velvet Room," I say. The bottles of expensive liquor clutter on top of cobalt shelves, keeping surprisingly still, even though the room is a limo that's always driving in an endless fog. For some reason, this blue velvet limo just feels more homey to me than that large empty elevator. "What's with that other room, anyway?"

"That was an old room for another resident," Igor says.

"Not to sound ill-mannered, but that person's exploits there are of no concern to you," Margaret says. Looks like the mysterious secretary is back.

"Hey Margaret, how was your break?" I ask.

"It was delightful," she smiles. "But not important as of now."

"I was just asking…" I slouch in my seat. Talk about a cold-blooded secretary.

Margaret opens her book, and three cards pop out of it, a trail of tiny stars follow each. Each one is veiled in a warm azure flame. "The Magician, The Emperor, and The Star. Each one represents one of the three friends you've deepened your bonds with."

"Are you talking about Roxas, Riku, and Donald?" I ask. Last thing I remember, Roxas is the Magician, Riku the Emperor, and Donald the Star.

"Precisely," Igor says. "I once told you that making bonds strengthens you, correct?"

"Yes, you have," I say.

"Well nurturing those bonds will make you grow even stronger," he says. "I sense that you will be deepening more bonds and even making new ones in the nearby future."

Darkness shrouds my eyes as the Velvet Room fades away.

* * *

**August 11, 2015**  
**Time of Day: Noon**  
**Weather: Cloudy**  
**Place: Destiny Islands- Streets**

"So, I was watching this movie yesterday, and some guy kicked through an entire tree!" Yuffie exclaims. "I wonder how much you have to train in order to do that…"

"I don't think that's even physically possible in the real world," I tell her. "It's only through practical effects and-"

"Lalalalalala!" Yuffie covers her ears. "I can't hear youuu!"

"Fine, you weirdo." I laugh. "Go ahead and believe what you want, but I'll always tell you the cold hard truth."

We decided to hang out today to get something to eat and maybe do some summer work while we were at it. It was half-off at the Secret Place, so my wallet and my stomach were in agreement for once.

"Hey, Yuffie!" A boy around our age comes running toward us.

"Oh, hey Miyu…" Yuffie's tone alters from happy, to slightly annoyed. "What, did you get mugged again?"

"Ha, ha, very funny," Miyu replies sarcastically. "I just wanted to thank you for helping me last night, and that I was sorry for just taking off."

"Taking off?" Yuffie frowns. "I hope you mean run away." Woah, what's up with Yuffie? She's normally doesn't sound this angry unless someone takes her food.

"God, what's your problem?" Miyu asks. "There's like, nothing redeeming about you at all with that bad attitude of yours."

"Oh shuddap!" Yuffie says. Okay, why was this even happening?

"Speaking of which," Miyu says. "What's up with Namine? She seemed oddly cheerful and had a weird laugh, y'know?"

"Yeah, that's just how she is." Yuffie raises her eyebrow.

"It seems like you've rubbed off on her," he says. "I can't even believe it. Namine was better off being gloomy." Wow. This guy is a dick.

"Shut your trap about her!" Yuffie says. "You don't know jack shit about her! She's a good person, got it?"

"Whatever!" Miyu walks away in spite.

After a minute of awkward silence, I decide to break the ice. "Sooo, what was that about?"

Yuffie turns to me. "So, last night I saved that jackass from these guys who were attempting to mug him. He ran away the moment I saw him being confronted in a alley."

"He didn't even ask for the help?" I ask. "He seriously just assumed you were going to help?"

"Pretty much."

"But even you normally don't get that angry with people. What's the deal with that?

"He's one of those persistent guys who thinks he can get with Namine. The day that I saved him in the alley, just a couple hours before, he was bad mouthing me about how I was just treating her like a little girl whose dad won't let her date people or whatever."

"He sounds like a jerk. What'd you do the the thugs in the end anyway?"

"Well, one of them was smart enough to realize that Miyu could have called the cops. So, they just left."

"Well, it's a good thing you didn't get into a fight. Who knows what would have happened?"

* * *

**August 12, 2015**  
**Time of Day: Afternoon**  
**Weather: Sunny**  
**Place: Destiny Islands- Streets**

"Hey, leave the kid alone!" Yuffie says.

"Huh? Great, it's her again," One of the thugs say. The same three jackasses we met a couple days ago, are now harassing a younger boy, probably no older than Usagi.

"Don't worry, I know how to handle with this bitch," the leader says with a smirk.

"You got somethin' planned?" The other thug says.

"H-Help…" The small boy whimpers.

"You hear that "Yuffie"? The kid wants some help," The leader mocks.

"How do you know my name?" Yuffie asks.

"We had a… Friendly conversation with some guy who had some beef with you." The leader's smirk turns into a dark grin. "He told us a bunch, like where you live, and about that precious Namine of yours."

"What are you aiming at?" Yuffie asks.

"Oh, I'm just gonna have a small chat with this kid," The leader says. "So why don't cha just stay put? Who knows what'll happen to your little girlfriend if you get in our way."

One of the thugs starts to laugh. "Man, that's fucking dark!"

"Why you…" Yuffie's face fills with anger.

As the small boy starts to cry more, Yuffie starts to prepare her fists.

"Hey Yuffie," I say to her.

"Sora, don't even think about getting in my way this time around," she warns.

"I wasn't going for that." She looks at me confused. "Just do your thing and let hell loose on these bastards!"

"With pleasure!" Yuffie's angered face turns into a determined smile.

"You sure you wanna do that?" The leader asks. "You don't care what happens to-" Yuffie interrupts him with a jumping roundhouse kick to his face. She then uppercuts one thug, and strikes the other with a left hook.

"Damn Yuffie, you're a freaking badass!" I say.

"Wasn't even trying!" She smiles. She turns to the small boy. He has a sparkle in his eye, and a smile on his face. "Are you okay?" She asks.

"Yes!" The boy says happily. "That was amazing!"

"That's good to know!" Yuffie smiles. The boy runs off, thanking the both of us.

"Was that the right thing to do?"

"You mean smash their faces in?" I ask. "Yes, yes it was."

"But what if they actually do go after Namine," Yuffie's triumphant demeanor shifts to one of worry.

"Then I guess that means you'll just have to protect her."

"Yeah…" Yuffie forms a gentle smile. "But this time… This time I won't let any dark thoughts, like the ones that created my Heartless, cloud my heart this time around!"

I give her a thumbs up. "Then good luck, Ms. Knight in Shining Armor!"

Yuffie punches my shoulder and blushes. "Seriously, just be quiet!"

* * *

**August 14, 2015**  
**Time of Day: Afternoon**  
**Weather: Clear**  
**Place: Destiny Islands- Beach**

Yesterday those bullies were caught in the act by the cops. Serves them right for being assholes. Come to think of it, when Riku and I were hanging out a couple days ago, we were confronted about being bullies. Small world, isn't it?

As the calm wind blows into my face while I ride my bike, I can't help but notice a familiar blonde girl lying down on her belly under a palm tree.

"Now Mr. Bunny, please don't move…" Namine whispers.

Every so often, she changes her focus from a small brown rabbit, to her sketchbook, which I occasionally see her carry around. As I inch closer to her, I notice that the drawing is extremely detailed. She's not even using anything special, just your average mechanical pencil.

"And done!" Namine gets up, and brushes the dirt off of her clothes.

"Hey Namine!" As I greet her, she shrieks and launches her sketchbook into the air. "I got it!" As I reach into the air to catch the book, Namine runs into me, and she almost falls down. Luckily, the book lands on its back. I awkwardly laugh. "Don't got it."

"Sora!" Namine yells as she picks up her sketchbook. "Why'd you have to scare me like that?!"

"What do you mean, scare? I was only saying hi…"

Namine puffs out a breath. "You just surprised me when I was so calm. So naturally, I freaked out."

"Then I'm sorry. Anyway, you were just drawing that bunny?"

"Yeah, it was eating this small flower, and I thought it would have been really cute to draw."

"Can I see?"

Namine hesitantly looks at her sketchbook. "Hmm, okay, but don't hurt my baby." Baby? She hands me the book. Oh, this is the baby.

As I flip through the pages, I see many different things. Whether it be random animals, landscapes, or portraits of someone, each one is always extremely elaborate.

"Wow, how long does it take you to draw these things?" As I flip through the sketchbooks, I see that there's even drawings of us in here!

"Things like that bunny don't take very long, but if I'm drawing something like a person, it takes me a while mainly because their expressions change so much."

"You're great at this stuff!" I compliment. "I can sort of imagine your stuff in an amatuer gallety of some sorts."

"I've entered contests, but mainly for paintings."

"You paint, too? Can I see some of those paintings?"

Namine smiles. "I'd love to, but there's a large group that didn't have a reservation at the inn today, so I kinda have to go help my mother when I get back. You can come tomorrow, though!"

"Really?"

"Sure, why not? You can see my personal art museum!"

* * *

**August 15, 2015**  
**Time of Day: Afternoon**  
**Weather: Rain**  
**Place: Amagi Inn**

"You seriously came in the rain?" Namine asks.

"It's not like I had anything else to do today." I shake my head, and water droplets fly everywhere. "So where's this, quote unquote, art museum of yours?"

Namine giggles. "It's in my room. Just follow me!"

I've never been inside the inn, but it's actually really nice. The rooms are traditional Japanese-styled, everything is made out of wood, and there's even a sauna that's connected to a hot spring!

"I seriously have to stay here one night," I tell her.

"I hope you can pay for it," Namine teases. That's certainly a businesswoman in training if I've ever seen one. "Anyway, here's my room!"

Namine walks through a door. It's a big bedroom with all of the usual things you'd see in these kinds of spaces. Except a lot of things are white.

"You really have a thing for white, don't you?" I ask

"It's my favorite color. It reminds me of paper and blank canvases, so it relaxes me."

"Makes sense." Namine has a bunch of things an artist would normally have, like crayons, pencils, markers, and paint. She even has an easel. But what really piques my interest is the wall completely covered in different drawings and paintings!

"Awesome, right?" Namine asks in a smug way.

"Yeah, it is…" I'm currently at a loss of word at how detailed all of the art is. Namine seriously has the right to act as smug when it comes to her art!

Namine starts to talk about each one of her works. The way she describes each one corresponds with how the painting or drawing looks like. One painting in particular catches my eye.

"Hey Namine, what's with this painting?" It's primarily made up of dark colors, like navy blues, blacks, grays, and other dreary shades. The painting depicts a person just watching a crowd of people. The people in the crows look happy about everything, but the person alone is just sulking in despair.

"Oh, that old thing?" Namine says. "Yeah, I painted that a couple months before you moved here. Back then, I was always busy at the inn, so I felt like I was alone, even when Yuffie was with me. I was jealous of my peers because they did whatever they wanted. It was to the point that I felt like I was just watching my life go by, and that I was wasting it working here." Namine crosses her arms. "My question is Sora, what does this painting mean to you? You're looking kind of pensive."

"I guess it's just reminding me of my time before I moved here," I tell her. "I moved around a lot, never made many friends. And when I did move, it always happened during the time of the school year where everyone already has their small groups and stuff, so naturally I became a loner." Yeah… Those were sad times. I get what Namine was saying about always feeling alone. "But… I'm thankful I met you guys."

"We're happy we met you too, Sora!" Namine assures me.

"You say that, but I feel like I haven't even been very close to you in particular."

"What do you mean?"

"I dunno, I just feel like we don't talk much, even after you got your Persona."

"Sora, it's fine. Don't be too hard on yourself. Ever since I became friends with all of you, I've been happier than I've ever been."

"Really?"

"Really." Namine has a proud smile on her face. "Ever since you guys saved me, I got to be myself around more people, and I'm thankful for that."

"Then in that case, you're welcome." I return her smile.

"Thank you!" Namine turns back to one of her other paintings. "So, this one represents…"

We spent most of the afternoon examining all of Namine's art, with me leaving about 3 hours later.

* * *

**August 17, 2015**  
**Time of Day: Evening**  
**Weather: Clear**  
**Place: Paopu Pastries**

So apparently there's a end of summer festival tomorrow night. The only reason I know of that is because I just so happened to pass by the park where it's being held. Now the one thing I want to know is this:

Is asking Kairi out on a date a good idea?

I mean, I haven't asked her yet, but I still remember what happened last time we went on a date. It took me probably around an hour to get back to my house. But on the other hand, I really should thank her for healing back when we fought Pence, sooo-

"Oh hey Sora." I turn to my left and I see Kairi in an apron and her hair tied in a messy ponytail. "What's up?"

"Hey Kairi!" I wave and try not to sound nervous. "So um, nice weather, and uh, stuff."

Kairi looks at me with an amused look. "Dude, that's like the most cliche small talk you can think of." She giggles.

"I know, I know." I rub the back of my head. "The point is, I wanted to talk to you for a bit."

"Sure, just lemme do something quick." Kairi rushes back into her grandma's shop. She comes back outside as fast as she entered, this time without an apron and her hair is loose. "Grandma says to take as much time as we need, so talk away!"

"Great!" Now just to ask her… Why are words not going out my mouth? Dammit Sora, just talk to the girl!

"Sora, why are you so quiet when asked to talk?"

"Oh, sorry. So you remember the date we had, right?" Oh god where am I going with this?

"Yeah, what about it?"

"I messed up back then."

"What?" She sounds really surprised.

"Yeah, y'know, near the end of the date. You ended up leaving me back there."

"Oh, yeah… Sorry about that."

"No no no, it's… It's okay. I just wanted to tell you that I'd like a do over."

"A do over?"

"Exactly. So tomorrow, would you like to have a second first date with me at the festival?"

Kairi starts to chuckle. "A second first date?"

"I did say a do over." I smile.

"Yeah, you did." Kairi smiles. "Sure, I'd love to go on a second first date with you."

* * *

**August 18, 2015**  
**Time of Day: Evening**  
**Weather: Clear**  
**Place: Destiny Islands- Public Park**

As I wait for Kairi on a bench, I get to see a lot of the stands. There's all the usual suspects like fishing games, the caramel apple stands, and that one game that everyone knows is rigged. Heck, even Riku has a small stand.

Apparently, his mom told the festival director, and he said that Riku would have his own booth. I stopped by to say hi, but there were so many kids, and even some teenagers, gathering around his stand to see all of his work! I wonder if he'll run out at any point.

"Sora!" I hear Kairi's voice behind me.

"Oh, hey… Umm, Kairi. Is that you?" She's in a pink dress with a black hood with three long zippers on it. She has a thin black belt on over the dress. But for some reason, her hair is blue and she's wearing the red fashion glasses Donald gave her.

"Yeah it is!" She says. "I may have been here for a while now, but people do still swarm me. And the fact that I'm on a date too would bring attention to us as well."

"What do you mean?"

"You know, whenever celebrities are seen going on dates with people no one have even hear about, people go nuts! Anyway, how do I look?"

To be honest, she kinda looks like my mom with the blue hair, but I definitely won't be telling her that. "You don't look bad…" Smooth, Sora. Smooooth.

"That's all you have to say?" Kairi looks down. I swear I hear her mumble, "I spent forever picking this thing out…"

"Sorry!" I tell her. "I was just shell shocked at how great you looked."

"Really?" Kairi's eyes shine.

"Yeah! Now, what's the first thing we should do?"

"You didn't plan anything?"

"Not really. I totally didn't waste all of my time picking my clothes instead of planning what to do during the festival." Oh god, why am I telling her this stuff?

Kairi starts to laugh. "Okay, Mr. Fashionista, stop being such a dork and let's just enjoy this festival!"

Mr. Fashionista? Dork? "I'd be glad to, Ms. Spoiled Teen Idol!"

"That's EX Ms. Spoiled Teen Idol to you!" Kairi flicks my nose. "Anyway, let's play some games first!"

"Wanna try the shooting gallery?" I point to a nearby booth. The man in charge of it is holding a BB rifle, and is rearranging prizes on a shelf.

"Oh, you're on!" Kairi dashes to the booth, and I follow suit. "And just so you know, I don't hold back."

"Hold back? It's just a game!" I laugh. "Hey, I'll pay for the two of us, okay?"

"Nah, I got it." Kairi takes out some munny and hands it to the guy in charge of the booth. He hands her one rifle, and me a second one.

"Ready!" The man says. "Set!" I steady my aim. "Go!" I pull the trigger and I shoot my first target. As time counts down, I'm slowly realizing that Kairi is shooting more accurate shots than me. As for me, my shots tend to be near the edges of the target. How is she so good at this?

"And time!" A bell rings. "Looks like your date beat ya, kid."

"Dangit..." I pout.

"Get wrecked, mate!" Kairi gloats. The man hands her a paopu fruit plushie.

"Aren't you the competitive one?" I ask. "How about we play a couple more games, most of which, I will totally beat you at!"

"You ready to put your munny where your mouth is?" she sneers.

Three games later, I've lost to Kairi at the ring toss, the game with the stupid milk jugs, and the hammer strength game. The goddamn strength game.

"Sooo, where's that confidence you had earlier?" Kairi asks.

"Gone, along with my man card for losing that strength game."

"Like you had one to begin with!"

I start to laugh. "Touche. Dammit, why do I say that every time we're around each other?"

"Because I'm a boss ass bitch!" Kairi smiles. "Anyway, do you wanna check up on Riku? I heard he has a pretty popular stand."

"Oh yeah, I saw it while I was waiting for you. Sure, let's go check up on him. I'll see if I can bargain with him so I can get something for free."

As we get closer to Riku's makeshift shop, we see him starting to pack up all of his stuff.

"Hey Riku!" Kairi waves.

Riku turns toward us. "Hey, what's up?"

"You're packing up already?" I ask.

"Well, I can't exactly have a stand if I have nothing to sell," he says.

"You seriously got sold out?!"

"Yeah," he responds wearily. "Everything was sold practically the moment I put what I made on the table." He raises his eyebrow. "So, what are you doing tonight, and who's that?"

Looks like the old fashioned wig and sunglasses disguise works. "It's actually Kairi."

"Why is her hair blue?"

"She's in disguise because we're on a date."

"I have to or else someone might come and kill Sora," Kairi says.

"Okayyy…" Riku has a perplexed look on his face.

"She means that her fans are gonna go crazy and magazines are gonna hound her with interviews because I'm on a date with their favorite celebrity."

"Okay, that makes a bit more sense." Riku grins. "In that case, I'll make sure not to tell Roxas. I'm pretty sure we all know he'd kill for a date with a celebrity, whether it be Kairi or someone else."

I laugh. "Thanks for covering for me bro."

"No problem." Riku smiles. "By the way, did you guys hear about the raffle they're doing?"

"What raffle?" Kairi asks. "It must be new if I hadn't heard about it."

"It is," he says. "It's for some charity to remodel some places around town. Everyone is saying that the grand prize for the raffle is something pretty epic."

"Sounds cool. Are you gonna try to win it?" I ask.

"Not really. I have rotten luck when it comes to this stuff." Riku holds up a metal box with a lock on it. "I'd rather use all this munny to buy some new materials." He walks away, his safe full of cash in his arm.

"How much munny do you even think is in there?" Kairi asks.

"I don't know, but considering he sold all that he made, it must be a lot."

We continue to walk around the festival, enjoying whatever we can while we're here. Riku was right when he said people were talking about the prize. Kairi and I haven't been to one place where we haven't heard people talking about the prize. Just how grand is the grand prize?

"Maybe I'll go test my luck…" Kairi and I walk toward the booth selling the tickets.

"Hello there, dearies, are you here to buy raffle tickets?" the woman behind the booth asks.

"Yes we are!" Kairi says.

"Aren't you energetic?" The woman asks. "That'll be 100 munny per ticket. We'll be announcing the raffle winners soon, be make sure to stick around!"

We each hand her 100 munny, and we get our tickets.

"What's your number Kairi?"I ask. "My number is 122205"

"Mine's 015960. Good luck Sora!" Kairi says.

"You too." Hopefully I can win grand prize. What would it even be? Mayor for the day? Free ice cream?

After ten minutes of waiting in anticipation, a girl around our age walks up onto a gazebo. She starts fiddling with the microphone. "Hello? This thing on? Oh, shoot, it is." The girl smiles sheepishly. "Okay folks, it's time to reveal the winners of the raffle!" she says into a microphone. People start to cheer.

"So this raffle was created to support the Destiny Islands Restoration Committee help pay for repairs to important and historic places in our small town such as our town hall! Thank you anyone who bought a ticket, because if even if you don't win, you'll still be helping our wonderful town!"

"Get on with it, Hayden!" some guy yells from across the park.

"Anyway…" The girl, or Hayden, tries to hide all of her embarrassment. "The number of the Bronze Prize is... 032802!" That's not my number so that's good. A man walks up onto the gazebo. "You've just won a coupon book for the stores in our local business district!"

He walks away with a content look on his face. I wonder if I'll get to that point in life where I'll be happy with winning a coupon book. But then again, I did pester Yuffie to let me look for some coupons before we went to the Secret Place the other day, sooo…

"The number of our Silver Prize is... 073112!" Hayden announces. A small girl walks up onto the gazebo. "Congratulations, you just won a handmade teddy bear made by Tatsumi Textiles very own…" The announcer blinks, as if she's reading it wrong. "Riku Tatsumi?" The small girl takes the teddy bear with gusto, and goes back to her parents.

"SO WHAT IF I MADE THE TEDDY BEAR?!" I hear Riku scream. I feel that Riku still might be embarrassed about people knowing about his hobbies, but I'm sure he'll get used to it. Eventually.

"Okay everyone, we're at our Golden Prize!" Hayden announces. "The ticket number for this prize is… 111808!" An old man walks up onto the gazebo. "You sir, have just won free ice cream at the Frozen Fortune Ice Cream Parlor for a month!" The old man takes a sheet of paper with a smile on his face.

"Listen up and check your tickets carefully!" Hayden warns. "It's time to reveal the winner of our grand prize!" The crowd cheers. "The first two digits are 12!"

12, okay, I got that.

"22!"

Okay, these match too… Will I actually-

"And the final number is… 06!"

OH COME ON!

I hear a victorious cheer behind the two of us. "I TOLD YOU I'D WIN IT!" Wait a minute… That voice… Roxas runs up onto the gazebo.

"Congratulations, you just won a trip with your friends to an all expense paid trip to Radiant Garden!"

* * *

**And Chapter 15 is done! Next chapter, the group will be going to Radiant Garden! It'll be the final part of their Summer Vacation.**

**Did any of you like the Namine part? To be honest, I had trouble writing that part. Main reason being, Sora and Namine aren't the closest of friends in this story. I completely neglected their friendship together, so I thought that Sora should mention it to her at one point.**

**I actually had a blast writing Sora and Kairi's date scene. Palette wrote their first date, so writing my own was a nice experience.**

**Also, I know I said I was aiming toward weekly updates, but I don't think that's going to happen. With me in school, and Palette having her own life, the times we can edit together tend to be on the weekends, and sometimes we don't even finish editing. Not to mention, writing a chapter takes me 2-3 days, and I only have time on weekends to write.**

**Anyway, thanks for reading this chapter!**


	16. Summer Vacation Pt 3

**Chapter 16: Summer Vacation Part 3**

**Time of Day: ?**  
**Weather: Foggy**  
**Place: The Velvet Room**

"Hello there, Sora," Igor greets. "Welcome back to the Velvet Room."

"I see that you've been busy," Margaret says. She opens her compendium and three arcana fly out. Each one is veiled in blue, pulsing flames, and a trail of stars follows them. "The Chariot, The Priestess, and The Lovers Arcana. The bonds you have with your companions have certainly grown stronger."

"That's my friends, Yuffie, Namine, and Kairi respectively, right?"

"Correct." Igor nods. "You've done well in your time here so far… I wonder where your strengthened bonds will take you."

Darkness shrouds my eyes as the Velvet Room fades away.

* * *

**August 21, 2015**  
**Time of Day: Morning**  
**Weather: Sunny**  
**Place: Destiny Islands- Train Station**

I yawn and stretch on a bench next to Roxas. The two of us got here before everyone else to wait for the train heading out of the Islands and into the City.

More specifically, we're headed to Radiant Garden. People flock to there because it's one of those places that tourists love to go to. There are places like casinos, nightclubs, and huge strip malls. It's practically party central of the country.

I've never been there myself, but my parents told me that they went to a boarding school there as teens and that there's a bunch of great places that my friends and I would love. Why they put a boarding school like that, I might never know.

As of now, the two of us are just eating some bagels he brought for a quick breakfast. "So how come Donald couldn't come again?" Roxas asks.

"He said he wanted to check up on some things in his world," I tell him. "There shouldn't be anything to worry about, but he said he just had a weird sinking feeling whenever he thought about it."

"Why would there be any problem?" he asks.

"I dunno…" The case should be over. I don't even know why I bother to stay up and check the Midnight Reflection everytime it rains at night. I just do.

"Hey, guys!" I turn to my left, and Yuffie is waving at us down the street. Next to her is Riku and Namine. "Are we all here now?"

"No, we're still waiting for Kairi," I tell her. "I wonder what's taking her so long." My phone starts to ring. "Hello?"

"Hey, it's me!" Kairi's voice echos through the speaker.

"Where are you?"

"Down the street, to your right!" I look right, and I see a black car. It drives up to us and a window rolls down. Kairi jumps out of it, waving towards us frantically. "Heyoooo!"

"I thought we were taking the train," Roxas says.

"You thought wrong! If we're going to the city, we're doing it in comfort!" Kairi smiles. "Anyway, just throw your shit in the back of the car, and get in!" The trunk door pops open, and we pile our bags in the back of the van.

As I get into the car, I instantly recognize the driver. "Oh hey, what's up Penny?" He simply waves back.

"His name is Penny?" Yuffie holds in laugh.

"Yeah, but I feel like he could break every one of us in half, so it's probably best not to laugh," I warn. In the driver's mirror, I see Penny grin and give me a nod of approval.

"Anyway, get your asses buckled up, it's time to head off to Radiant Garden!" Kairi cheers.

* * *

**Time of Day: Afternoon**  
**Weather: Sunny**  
**Place: Radiant Garden- Hotel Lumiere**

Penny parks the car in front of a large, fancy looking hotel. Over the door is the building's name, Lumiere, in gold. "Welcome, my friends, to the Hotel Lumiere!" Kairi says.

"Kairi, this isn't the place that I won the contest to stay at," Roxas says.

"Yeah, I know. I checked the place out online, and it's in the sketchy part of town, so I just got us rooms here." Kairi puts on a black wig and sunglasses. "You can thank me later."

"I don't think the place the place we were supposed to go to holds a candle to this one!" Roxas responds.

As we barge in, I notice that the interior is extravagant; something fit for the upper class. Everything looks so nice and fancy. Shades of golds and illuminated tans make up the walls and floors. Purple carpets are rolled out on the floor, and an ornate glass chandelier crafted with glass in vivid colors hangs on the ceiling. "Kairi, how much did you pay for us to stay here?"

"Trust me, it's cheaper than a lot of places I've stayed," she says. If this is cheap, then where the hell has Kairi stayed before?! We follow her up to a reception desk, and the woman greets her. "Hello there, I've reserved two rooms for me and my friends. It should be under the name Thalassa Panettiere."

Thalassa Panettiere? That name is certainly a mouthful.

"M'kay hun, just let me look through the computer." The reception lady starts typing. "Okay then, Ms. Panettiere, you and your friends will be on floor 17 in rooms B15 &amp; B16." She hands Kairi two key cards."Your bags will be brought to your rooms, and I hope you have a nice stay!"

"Thanks!" Kairi turns to us. "Okay, so the girls and I will stay in Q15, and you guys will stay in Q16." Kairi hands me a key card. It's purple and has a stylized golden candelabra on it.

"Okay, but why were you using a fake name?" I ask.

"I use fake names to stay incognito," she says. "It's so when I reserve rooms and stuff like that, paparazzi and fans won't follow me."

"Makes sense."

"Anyway, what were you guys going to do?" Kairi asks.

"I dunno," I tell her. "Riku, Roxas, and I were just going to go around the city, see the sights. What were you guy going to do?"

"I was going to bring Yuffie and Namine to Twilight Boulevard and show them the best shopping spots!"

"How are we going to even afford anything there?" Namine asks.

"I doubt I could afford half a sock there," Yuffie says.

"Don't worry, I gotchu! Using 10,000 munny on a dress isn't too bad in terms of fashion!" If 10,000 munny isn't too bad, I want to know her definition of expensive. "Anyway, the three of us will just head off now, 'kay?"

"Yeah, sure," I tell her.

"Oh, but make sure to come back here before it gets too late," Kairi says. "I'm gonna bring you guys to somewhere fun!"

* * *

**Time of Day: Evening**  
**Weather: Cloudy**  
**Place: Radiant Garden- Club Amitié**

"Kairi, how'd you even get us into a place like this?!" I ask her. We follow a bouncer into a posh high-end night club. Multi-colored lights are flashing everywhere, drunken bodies bounce around without rhythm to booming music, all while a DJ plays and remixes the hottest songs out right now.

While the rest of us drop our jaws, Kairi seems to be right at home. "One time I was supposed to have a small solo concert here, but the power went out, so the club owners owe me."

The guy we've been following leads us through a hallway, with dark-colored walls and blue doors on each side. Each one had a number, and a small screen that either said "Vacant" or "Occupied". The club employee leads us to a door that has a star on it at the end of the hall. Could it be a VIP room?

As we walk in, I can't help but think of the Velvet Room's design. It's made up of various shades of blue, but there are also gold inlays on some of the furniture. There's a table full of different foods, ornate chairs, and couches around it. I feel like Igor would be jealous over how nice this room is.

"This place is awesome!" Roxas says. "But how come we're not allowed in the club itself?"

"The club owners do have a reputation to keep," she explains. "If they let minors out on the dance floor, people might snitch and call the cops or something."

"Make sense," Yuffie says. "It's too stuffy in that area anyway."

"How do you think I felt whenever my concerts were indoors?" Kairi asks. "Anyway, how'd your day go you guys? Have fun touring the big city?"

"It was great," Riku says. "We got a ton of pictures and stuff like that."

"Forget that, I got a girl's number!" Roxas cheers.

"Seriously?!" The girls ask in unison.

"That was our reaction too," Riku adds.

"I feel like he paid her to give it," I say.

"Well, screw you guys then," Roxas says. "Do you think I could have her come here with us?"

"I dunno Rox, it really was just supposed to be the six of us…" Riku says.

"I don't see the problem," I defend. "Who knows, she might be a nice person."

"Lemme call her now then!'" Roxas takes out his phone, quickly dials a number, and puts it on speaker phone.

"Hello, this is Genie's Pizza, would you like to try our Three Wishes Deal? Three toppings, three pizzas, and three sides!" Roxas' face of pride, quickly shifts to that of shock and despair. "Hello, hello? Anyone there? Al, didja butt dial me again?" Roxas hangs up.

I pat him on the back as he slouches onto one of the lounge chairs. "It's okay buddy, it happens to the best of us."

"Don't patronize me..." He sighs. "I'm just going to eat my sorrows away if you don't mind." Roxas reaches toward the table, and stuffs tacos into his mouth.

"Soooo, what'd you guys do today?" Riku asks. "Or should I ask what did you buy today?"

"So many dresses," Namine says tiredly. "So much makeup! Not enough money…"

"Yeah, we just went shopping," Yuffie says. "Not much to it. I had fun trying on different clothes, but the price tags on them gave me and Nami heart attacks."

"Everything was bought by yours truly." Kairi bows.

"But you only bought stuff we wanted, not what you wanted, so I kinda feel bad," Namine says.

"I said it's no problem! Buying nice clothes is the least I can do for you girls." Kairi grins. "Plus, if I wanted to, I could just have someone just send me the latest fashion trends directly from a high end fashion brand, so it's no big deal."

"You sure do love flaunting your money and celebrity status around," I comment.

"It's a perk when you get as big as me," Kairi says. "Anyway, how about we play a game to start out the night!"

"Like what?" Riku asks.

"Why, a legendary game, passed from from generation to generation! One where only the ballsiest of the ballsiest can win…" Kairi pauses. "Truth. Or. Dare!"

"Truth or dare? Really? What are we in, seventh grade?" Yuffie asks.

"Oh be quiet, I've never played a serious game of truth or dare myself," she defends.

"Since when has truth or dare been serious?" I ask.

"You guys know what I mean!" she says. She launches herself into one of the lounge chairs. The rest of us follow suit and sit down on the seats, like normal people I might add. Kairi pours the each of us drinks into disposable cups on the table. "To summer vacation!"

"To summer vacation!" We all cheer.

* * *

**August 22, 2015**  
**Time of Day: Afternoon**  
**Weather: Cloudy**  
**Place: Radiant Garden- Hotel Lumiere**

My eyes bolt open, and I'm met with blinding light. I cover my eyes with my hand, to let them adjust. I still can't see much, but I can tell I'm lying down on a bed, and a blanket is covering most of my body. I try to get up, but my legs feel heavy.

Not to mention my head hurts like a bitch! As my eyes adjust, I look around and notice that we're in a hotel room. I notice different people sprawled around the room. They start shuffling around, and it turns out to be my friends.

Riku is on the other bed. His hair is in what seems to be twintails. As he struggles to get out of bed, I see that his shirt is torn up to the point of non existence. Under the shirt is… A bra?

Yuffie is hanging off of the same bed as Riku. Her legs are on the bed while the rest of her body is hanging upside down. As she wakes up and slides off of the bed, she wipes drool off of her face. She's in some weird princess ninja outfit.

Namine is on the floor, dressed in a short kimono that shows off practically all of her legs. Her hair isn't the regular blonde we're used to, but full of different colors. She tries to push herself off the ground, but her arms give out every time.

Roxas wobbles through a doorway. He's wearing jeggings and a lace skirt over it. He's wearing one of those muscle shirts that say SUN'S OUT, GUNS OUT in a hot pink.

"What the hell happened last night?" he asks. Every word he says sounds like a sharp scream, making my head spin, so I clutch my head in pain. Everyone else reacts the same. "I just woke up on the toilet in this ridiculous getup!"

"Were you taking a shit?" Yuffie asks.

"No!" Roxas grabs his head with his hand. "Why are we even dressed like this?"

"Hell if I know." Riku massages his temples. "All I remember is entering that club, and then Roxas calling that pizza place."

"Yuffie, do you remember anything?" I ask.

"Nami… Namine, get up." Yuffie shakes her friend. "And no, I don't."

"Where's Kairi?" Roxas asks. He brings up a good point. I don't see her anywhere in the room.

"I think I know where she is," Roxas says.

"Where?" I ask.

He points to my legs. I remove the blanket, and… Kairi is clinging onto my legs, drool dribbling out her mouth. She looks mostly untouched, except one thing.

She's not wearing any pants.

"S-Sora stop looking you perv!" Yuffie panics.

I turn away from the perplexing, yet amazing, view. "How am I the pervert?" I ask. "She's the one without pants!"

"And you're the one without a shirt," Riku says. I look at myself, and he's right. I don't have anything covering my upper body.

Not to mention that there's an absurd amount of scribbles all over my torso. Crappy scribbles at that. One kinda looks like me holding a star and handing it to a person with poorly drawn hair. Anyway, I'm just happy I have pants on, or else this situation might be even worse. But at this point, is it even possible for things to get even more bad than they already are?

"Can someone just put a skirt on her or something?!" I ask in panic. Roxas gets out of his skirt, and tosses it to Yuffie. She then proceeds to put the skirt on the unconscious redhead.

"Hm?" Kairi makes a noise. She slowly wakes up. "Huh? Wha… What happened?"

"That's the thing," I say. "We kinda don't know jack about what happened."

"Why does my head hurt? Why are you shirtless? Where are we?" Kairi goes on to asking a million questions in a panic.

"Look, can we just all calm down, and then try to remember what happened last night?" Roxas says.

"We should probably dress into some some better clothes first, though," Riku suggests. Everyone looks at their current attire. We all nod, and the guys and I scurry out of the girls' room. We head to our suite next door to change our clothes.

Sadly, an employee just had to be outside the hotel room to give us weird looks. "What do you want?" I ask. He scurries away, and I can tell he was holding in a shit ton of laughs too. Just because you see some people who woke up dressed weirdly doesn't give you the right to laugh at them!

Half an hour later, we're back in the girls' room, talking about what the fuck happened the night before.

"So I found a video on my phone," Kairi says. "It was recorded from last night."

"Seriously?" I ask.

"Yeah, but…"

"But what?" Riku asks.

"Are you sure you, uh, want to watch this?" she asks. "I kinda watched it, and it's pretty bad."

"On a scale of one to ten, how bad?" Namine asks.

"I dunno, but here, just watch it." Kairi hands me her phone. For some reason, she's not making any eye contact with me, and her face has a slight blush to it. How embarrassing could this video be?

On the screen is a video that was shot at two in the morning. I press play. Hopefully I didn't make too much of a fool of myself.

* * *

**8/22/15**  
**02:57AM**

The video starts with Kairi making a duck face, but then turning it around to show the hotel room. The camera pans to Riku and I standing on top of a bed, belting out the lyrics to Call Me Maybe into a microphone.

"Before you came to into my life, I missed you so bad! And you should know that, so Call Me Maybe!" we slur in an intoxicated harmony. As the music stops, everyone starts clapping and cheering.

"Encore! Encore! Encore!" Roxas chants. As I jump off the bed, sobbing is heard from the other side of the room.

"Nami! Nami, why are you crying?" A drunk Yuffie slurs.

"Because I wuv you guys, and I'm sooooo super happy you guys are friends with me," Namine sobs.

"Awww, we love you too, Namine!" Kairi says.

"Okay!" Drunk Roxas yells. "Who's up next!?"

Past me raises his hand. "Ooh, pick me! Pick me!"

"But you and Riku just went!" Yuffie complains

"Aww…" I sigh.

"I pick… Kairi!" Roxas points at the drunk Kairi.

"Yaaaay!" she cheers. "Dare! Dare! Dare!"

"Okay!" he says. "I dare you to… Sit on Sora's lap!"

"Booooring!" Drunk Riku slurs. "Have her rip up his shirt, like what I had to do!" The camera pans to the lacy bra Riku has on under the mangled shred of clothing he's wearing.

"Have her do both!" Yuffie cheers.

"Hmmm… Okay!" Kairi says. Suddenly, the phone is launched into the air. Once it falls back onto the floor, the video ends.

* * *

"Holy shit, we got fucked up," Yuffie says.

"I feel like that's an understatement…" Namine says sadly.

Kairi refuses to look at me. She's blushing so much, it's hard to tell the difference between her face and her hair. She looks kinda cute when she blushes like that, but I'll be damned if I ever admit that to her.

"Did someone spike the drinks last night?" Roxas asks.

"What else could have happened?!" Riku says. Everyone starts to talk about what they should do now, or any weird looking marks they found on their bodies.

As the noise in the room amplifies, the searing pain in my head increases. "Listen, do you guys just want to sleep in today?" I ask. "My head hurts like a bitch in heat, and to be honest, I don't want to deal with any of this bullshit until it stops hurting."

* * *

**So remember how I said the Summer Vacation Arc would end this chapter? Yeah, that didn't happen. I wanted to end it this chapter, but with how I wrote it, it wouldn't be good if I ended it here. I was told by Palette that I wrote myself into a corner.**

**Also, as of the 11th of October, this story is a year old! God, I cannot go back to the first couple chapters without going on an insane cursing fit, or having cringe attacks. I first planned to upload it the weekend of the 11th, but then I had some school stuff. Tests, projects, the whole shebang. And then this last scene caused Palette and I so much trouble, because we had no idea how to end it!**

**By the way, recently I updated the format of my earlier chapters (probably Ch. 1-5, and then I think Ch. 7) to match the rest of the story. What happened is that for some dates, I put 2014, when it should have been 2015. That and some paragraphs have been separated so everything looks less messy. I tried not to change too much of what I've written, as I want you guys to see how far my writing skills have developed.**

**One last thing before I let you guys go. On my Author profile, I'm now writing status updates for the story. This way you can occasionally check up on the development of each chapter. **

**God, this has been a long Author's Note. Thank you anyone who has dealt with my writing up until now, I hope it's been a fun ride, because I promise it's gonna get better! Hopefully this chapter was good, and I'll see you next chapter! And Happy Halloween, because I know I'm definitely not going to be posting a chapter anytime before the 31st.**


	17. Summer Vacation Pt 4

**Chapter 17: Summer Vacation Part 4**

**August 23, 2015  
Time of Day: Morning  
Weather: Sunny  
Place: Radiant Garden- Hotel Lumiere**

Day three in Radiant Garden, and none of us are hungover as fuck anymore!

But seriously, none of us had any idea as to how we got so drunk. It's not like we could single anyone out. The only employee we saw come into the party room, was the bouncer who brought us there, and it wouldn't make any logical sense if he somehow spiked the drinks when we weren't looking. It's not like we saw any kitchen attendants bring food in, it was already on the table when we got there!

It's sad to say, but we don't have any proof to show that an employee at the club put alcohol in the drinks. If anything, they'd probably just find a way to put the blame on us. This is probably one mystery we'll never solve. God, this is gonna be nagging the back of my head for a while. I hate leaving shit like this unsolved.

Regardless, now that everyone is back to our regular selves, we've decided that we'd go around together around the city. We're in the lobby, yawning our heads off, waiting for Penny to come and pick us up and bring us to this cafe for breakfast. Come to think of it, did he pick us up that night? God, he either must have had a kick out of seeing us drunk as hell, or pissed off that he had to deal with a group of drunk teenagers.

As of now, I'm just pacing back and forth across the floor, reading a brochure. I know I might walk into someone or something, but at the same time, I can't help it. Pacing around while I do something else is what I do when I'm just waiting for something.

"Hey Sora, watch out!" Roxas says.

"Hm?" I look toward him as I pace, but then suddenly I walk into some guy by accident.

"Geez, watch it kid." Wait, I know that voice. Looking up from the brochure, I spot a splitting image of me, towering over me. The only difference being he has black hair and yellow eyes. Instead of a crown necklace, he's wearing one with a blue eye on top of a red and black gear.

"W-What? Why are you?" I stutter at the man's appearance.

What? You forget what your dad looks like after a couple months?" He smirks.

"N-No, but why exactly are you here?" I ask. "Aren't you supposed to be on like the other side of the country or whatever?"

"Just taking a quick vacation."

"Hey Sora, uhh, why are there two of you?" Roxas asks.

"Oh, uhh, this is my dad."

"Nice to meet ya." Dad waves. "The name's Vanitas, but you can call me Van." All of my friends start to congregate around my dad and I. They say things I always hear when I'm around him like, "You two could be twins," and the usual banter about our appearances. But one thing comes to mind.

"Wait, if you're here Dad, where's Mom?"

"Right here!" I look to my left, and the first thing I notice is her striking blue hair. Don't ask me how the hell she has blue hair, because I swear to god she doesn't dye it. Like is it a recessive gene or something? True to her name, she's wearing mostly blue. "Hey there, my name's Aqua! I'm guessing you're our son's friends?"

"Hey Mom!" I rush to her and hug her. "It's still kinda hard to believe you guys are actually here."

"Well, we got some time to ourselves, so we decided to visit you in Destiny Islands."

"That was the plan, but _someone_ forgot to tell us he was heading to the city," Dad accuses.

"Ohhh, so that's what I forgot…" I laugh sheepishly. How could I forget to tell them?

"Well, we stayed there for the night, met up with Zack and Usagi, and then came here," Mom smiles. "Oooh, your cousin is so adorable I could have just eaten her up!" Mom goes onto to bantering about how she just wanted to take my cousin everywhere with her in like a purse or something. That, and cuddling her all day, _everyday_.

"_Anyway_," Dad interrupts. "You guys wanna eat something or what? I'm hungry."

* * *

**Time of Day: Morning  
Weather: Sunny  
Place: Radiant Garden- Mother Gothel's Cafe**

"Sooo, how'd you two meet?" Namine asks, genuinely curious.

"The most cliched way you could ever think of," I joke. But seriously, it is.

"Oh can it," Mom says. "Cliche or not, you wouldn't be here if it didn't happen." Okay, that's gross. I really don't want to hear about my parents love story, honestly. She waves her finger at me whilst sipping her latte. My parents brought us to a cornerside cafe that surprisingly wasn't a Starbucks.

"Did you have to play the 'you wouldn't be here' card on me?"

"Yes, now storytime!" Mom smiles.

"We were both born in Destiny Islands, and we were childhood friends," Dad says. "It's like Sora said, the story's cliche as hell. Whether it be her saying she'd marry me when we were four, or the student council president dating a delinquent."

"To make it clear, I was the delinquent," Mom says. "Any of you ever heard of the Drowning Sirens?"

"You mean the gang of female students that went to school at Destiny High?" Yuffie asks, wide eyed. "You were a part of that?"

"I wasn't just part of it, I was the leader!" Mom says proudly. She pulls out her wallet, takes out an old looking picture. She's wearing the Destiny High uniform, a leather jacket over her shoulders, a hat with spikes on it, and bandages wrapped around her fists. She has a piece of straw hanging out her mouth, and a Struggle bat in hand, bearing the words _Rainfell_. "I was going through a phase."

"Some phase." Riku averts his glance from the picture, and back to my mom. "Even what I wear to school can't even compare with that."

"Her parents and the school made _me_ deal with it," Dad deadpans. "Anyway, after high school, we both went to college here. She studied nursing, while I went for English because I had no idea what the hell I wanted to do. Afterwards, I enrolled in the Army to help pay off my student loans, and she went back to the Islands and became a nurse there."

"When he came back from his tour, he proposed to me!" Mom shows her ring to the girls. Yuffie, Namine, and Kairi were awestruck at my mom's ring. It's diamond encrusted and has raindrop shaped lapis lazuli.

"Aww, that's so romantic!" Kairi says.

"You should've seen how flustered and frazzled he was when he proposed." Mom laughs.

"We stayed in Destiny Islands for a couple years to raise Sora," Dad continues. "Come to think of it, I'm pretty sure some of you played with him at the park all the time."

"Seriously?" I ask.

"I'm pretty sure," Dad says. "I can sort of imagine so of you guys as little kids, and some of you look like some of the kids he played with."

"Which ones then?" Namine asks.

"I definitely wasn't one," Roxas says. "I was raised in Twilight Town."

Dad analyses each of my friends. "So I'm pretty sure it was Yuffie, Kairi, and… Riku, d'you mind moving your hair away from your face for a second?"

"Sure, I guess." Riku holds his long hair back.

"Oh yeah, it definitely was him," Mom says. "The look in your eyes reminds me so much of your mom! How is she by the way?"

"She's fine, I guess. She's still running the textile shop."

"So what do you know, it really is a small world," I laugh. "I don't even remember that."

"Anyway, because I was enlisted, I had to move from fort to fort around the country," Dad continues.

"It's why we had to move around a lot, and how Destiny Islands is probably where I've stayed the longest," I comment. "Or should I say, _going_ to be the longest place. I am staying with you guys for a year. The longest I've stayed at a place was probably 6 month at some random military base up north."

"So in other words, Sora is a military brat?" Roxas asks. "I'm surprised you don't call your dad 'sir' or something."

"Nah, I'd feel like an asshole if I made him call me that," Dad laughs. "Pride doesn't cloud my judgment when it comes to my status. Sora should know that. Don't you, boy?"

"Geez Dad, you know I hate it when you call me 'boy' like I'm some random mutt."

"Oh, I know." He smirks.

As my dad stuffs a croissant in his mouth, my phone vibrates. Roxas sent me a text. What's the point in texting me if I'm literally right next to you, dude?

I unlock my phone, and- Are you freaking kidding me?. It reads, "_Dude, Sora's mom is hot af!"_ with a drooling emoji with hearts for eyes.

Roxas, sometimes the mistakes you make are those of epic proportions.

"_Hey Roxy, check who ur texting b4 u send shit."_ I text. "_Now stop looking at my mom, you creep."_

Next to me, Roxas picks up his phone. His eyes flash open. "_Sorry."_

"Anyway, have you guys been around the city much yet?" Dad asks.

"We haven't been to too many places yet, but we were planning to today before we left for the Islands," I explain.

"Is that so…" Dad grins. "How about we show you guys around town? Our plane at the airport here arrives at 11PM, so we practically have the entire day!"

"You'd really do that?" I ask. "You guys okay with it?" I turn to my friends. They're all nodding or shrugging to tell me yes. "Okay then, be out tour guides!"

* * *

**Time of Day: Afternoon  
Weather: Sunny  
Place: Radiant Garden- 100 Acre Park**

After finishing our breakfast at the cafe, my dad suggested that while we should check out a famous park in the middle of the city. Apparently it was built by some rich guy that wrote a children's book. I don't think my parents read it to me, mainly because all of the statues I've seen so far make no sense to me. Like, who in the right mind would think of a tiger that bounces on its tail?

"Ooh, let's take a picture by the bear statue!" Kairi pulls my arm, and drags me to a bronze statue of a bear with a pot of honey.

"Why would a bear be eating honey out of a jar?" I ask.

"Doesn't matter! Now c'mon!" Kairi's phone shows the both of our faces. Instead of making a regular smile, I try to make the goofiest face I could think of. Goofiest being crossing my eyes while looking up, and smiling with my tongue between my teeth.

Kairi follows suit, and makes a duckface and bobs her head back to make a double chin. She taps her phone, and the flash burns my eyes.

"Why didn't you turn that thing off?" I ask, rubbing my eyes.

"Sorry, I was in a small cave with the girls when we took a picture." Kairi starts blinking rapidly. "Anyway, this is going on my story!"

"Do you really have to Snapchat everything?"

"If I don't, my basic bitch side will ever be sated." She giggles.

"Kairi!" Yuffie yells from behind us. "Did you tag me in the picture?"

"I haven't posted it yet!" Kairi starts running back toward her.

"So," Dad suddenly appears next to me. "You two seems close." He has a grin on his face.

Uh… Ninja Dad, much? "How'd you do that?" I ask. "Since when you'd get behind me?"

"Doesn't matter," Dad says. "So, what's with you and Kairi, eh?" He bumps me on the shoulder suggestively.

Great, he's set his mind to find an answer. What sucks about my dad is that occasionally his brain turns into a one-track mind whenever something interests him. This time it just _had_ to be what's happening with Kairi and I. "I-It's complicated… ish."

"Ish?"

"The point is, I turned her down," I make air quotes when I say turned. "Because at the time, I was…" C'mon Sora, your dad isn't gonna believe you fight monsters in a separate world using Personas!

"Was what?"

"I was kinda still getting used to living in the Islands, that's all!" Oh god, please make this excuse work. "Everything is okay between us now, because for a short time she hated my guts."

"Hmmmm…" Dad raises his eyebrows. "Okay, seems believable."

"What?"

"I'm not gonna pry if you don't want to explain in full," Dad says. "As much as I would love to know how you suck at your love life," Hey, what the hell Dad? "I know it's embarrassing to talk about."

"Geez Dad, thanks."

"You're welcome," Dad says in a smug matter. "But here's my advice." Dad grabs my shoulders and glares at me straight in the eyes. "DON'T. MESS. UP."

"Dad, I'm pretty sure I already knew that," I deadpan.

"You know what I mean." Dad lets go of my body. "Don't mess with a woman's heart. No matter how smart you are, it's the one thing a man will never understand. Got it?"

"Yeah, I do."

"Doesn't sound like it!" Dad circles behind me, and starts giving me giving me a noogie. "Now say it like you mean it!"

"Dad, stop it, we're in public!" He continues to grind his knuckles on my head, the pain slowly starting to intensify. "Fine, okay! Okay! I understand what you mean!" I start to laugh.

"Okay then." Dad shoves me away, and I almost trip over, but I'm able to keep my balance. "Now c'mon. Your mom wanted to bring us somewhere."

* * *

**Time of Day: Evening  
Weather: Sunny  
Place: Radiant Garden- Rising Falls Mall**

Sometimes it's hard to imagine how my dad and mom fell for each other, when their interests are the opposite of each other. My dad brought us to a park, while my mom brought us to the biggest mall in the city, or maybe even the country! Then again, it's not like the guys and I went shopping the first day we came to Radiant Garden, unlike the girls who did, so this all plays out nicely.

The inside of the mall is breathtaking! The colors you mostly see are shades of blue, which only compliment the many artificial waterfalls everywhere. Especially in the center of the mall where there's an outdoor amphitheatre, and one waterfall surrounding the entirety of it. Now that I think about it, all of this water is probably why my mom brought us here, due to her namesake.

Although, it kinda makes me want to take a piss.

"So, has has your summer been so far?" Mom asks.

"It's been… Eventful." Sorry Mom, I can't tell you much either.

"Eventful? Oh, you must be talking about those murders that happened in the town!" Mom says. "It must've been horrible that you arrived there once the first murder occurred."

"It wasn't so bad, it's just that people were kinda paranoid," I explain. "Other than that, everything has been fine. The cops even caught the guy that did it."

"Yeah, your Uncle Zack explained that to me when we were there for the night." Mom sighs. "All of that must've created a ton of stress and work for him. Speaking of which, how is he treating your cousin?"

Geez mom, that's not something I can just answer. "To put it shortly, Zack is kind of a workaholic. Usagi normally stays home when she's not at school. I do bring her along with me sometimes, as my friends love being around her."

"Good on you!" Mom pats my back. "And who wouldn't like being around that cute little marshmallow! As for Zack…" Mom lets out an exasperated sigh. "He's always been like that. Sometimes he gets too caught up in work that he puts more important things second to work. Make sure you slap some sense into him occasionally."

"Got it!" I give her a thumbs up.

"Anyway, do you want to know what else Zack told me?"

"What?"

"That you and your friend got may have gotten into a little incident that got you arrested." Mom's smile and general demeanor may be pleasant and happy, but her tone turns deadly.

My mom never raises her voice, even when angry. If she did that, I wouldn't be so scared of her. What really scares me is her poker face. Underneath the bubbly woman that is my mother, is the high school gang leader that everyone feared back in her day. Whenever she gets angry, she puts on a smile and lets the sound of her voice scare the living hell out of people.

"I'm still waiting for an answer Sora…" Mom looks at me as a snake would look at its lunch.

"W-Well we didn't get arrested per se…"

"Then what happened?"

"Umm, Roxas can be an idiot?" I start fiddling with my crown pendant, something that's become a nervous habit of mine.

"Oh." Mom fixes her eyes on Roxas trying to hit on some girls. "So he was the one who got you arrested?"

"It's like I said, we didn't get arrested, we were politely approached by some friendly policeman that told us to get in the back of their cruiser so they could bring us to the station for questioning!" Oh dear god why am I telling her this.

"And why did they want to question you?" Mom's eyes seem more akin to blue demonic flames.

"Because Roxas brought fake weapons to an area full of people." I'm sorry Roxas, but I like living!

Mom stands up from her seat. "I'll be back in a jiffy."

I quickly grab her hand. "Mom, no, it's okay, they just let off with a warning since everyone knows Roxas is brain dead!"

"What'd you say about me?" Roxas asks. The girls by him giggle, and then turn to leave. Roxas quickly follows them.

"Really?" The fire in mom's voice dies down. "Fine, okay. But get arrested again, and I'm going to kill you."

"I know, I know!" My heart starts to slow down a bit. Luckily for me, once my mom hears something she likes, she immediately calms down. The ironic thing is, my mom has been legitimately arrested twice because of her gang, so why is she scolding me for it? I'd love to ask her that, but if I did, she'd go on a rampage.

* * *

**Time of Day: Night  
Weather: Clear Skies  
Place: Radiant Garden- Radiant Garden International Airport**

"Oooh, I'm gonna miss you!" Mom traps me in a bear hug. She may not look like it, but the woman is strong enough to bench twice her weight.

"Mom… Can't breathe…" I sputter. She quickly lets me go, and air enters my lungs.

"Hey Sora," Dad calls. "There's something I want to tell you."

"Yeah, what is it dad?"

He fiddles with his necklace. "Listen, and don't take this the wrong way, but… You've changed. Alot."

I raise my eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"You're smiling more," He says. "You're talking more. You're more sociable. The point is… You've really changed over these past couple months."

"It's just that your father and I… We can't help but think it was our fault that you weren't this happy before," Mom says. "I mean, you didn't have any say as to why and where we were to move to, what kind of people you had to deal with, or-"

I pull both my parents into a big hug.

"Don't say that. Don't make yourselves the villains." I remove my arms from my around my parents. My mom has traces of tears in her eyes, while my dad has a sad look on his eyes. "Yeah, I was sad that we always moved around! Yeah, I hated that I was always the new kid! But I never hated you guys." I smile at the two of them. "I could _never_ hate you two."

Dad's amber eyes meet with my sapphire ones. "Do you… Really mean that?"

I flash my dad a grin. "Yeah, I do!"

My mom pulls all of us into another hug. "I'm going to miss you."

"We'll _both_ miss you," Dad corrects.

"I'll miss you too. I love you guys."

"We love you too," my parents say in unison. We stop hugging each other, and my parents make their way towards their gate.

I wipe any traces of tears from my eyes, and wave my parents goodbye. Once they leave my field of vision, lost in the crowds of people, I head back to where my friends are waiting.

"Everything sorted out?" Roxas asks.

I smile. "Yeah, it is." I start walking past them, and I signal them to follow me. "C'mon, let's go home!"

* * *

**Okay, so this is officially one of my shortest chapters in this story so far! It only took up 8 and a half (ish) pages!**

**But who cares about that? It's been a month since I've updated! I'm so sorry! If you look at my updates on my profile, you'd know that I actually had a case of writer's block. I finally understand why Palette takes forever to upload chapters to her story. Writer's block fucking sucks. Hopefully it doesn't take an entire month to update, lol**

**Anyway, this is the last chapter of the Summer Vacation Arc! Next chapter, Sora and the Investigation Team are gonna be back in Destiny Islands! Who knows, a certain someone might have a hunch as to what these guys have been up to...**


	18. Here We Go Again!

**Chapter 18: Here We Go Again!**

**Time of Day: ?  
Weather: Foggy  
Place: The Velvet Room**

"Welcome to the Velvet Room, Sora," Igor greets. "Your actions as of late have been very commendable."

"I must applaud in your recent actions in obtaining the Devil and the Temperance Arcanas," Margaret says.

Two blue cards appear in a blue light above Margaret's book. Instead of directly going into her book as usual, they appear in front of my face. They then start to slowly circle around my head, each card becoming faster as they revolve around my head. Out of nowhere, they both fly into Margaret's book. She opens her compendium, and what's on the pages create a small smile on my face.

Both my parents appear on one page in a loving embrace, and on the opposite page, the Devil and Temperance Arcana are illustrated.

"This phenomenon is an interesting one," Igor says. "Instead of creating a bond, you rekindled it, making it stronger than it originally was."

"You've done well so far, but my dear guest… Your demeanor is lacking a certain amount of caution," Margaret says. "Be warned, the fog is about to grow rather dense once again. Your trials are far from over."

Aww, c'mon! Here I thought the rest of my year could be normal!

"In fact, this next journey can be proved to be more daunting than anything you have ever encountered before," Margaret continues.

God dammit. I almost died once, what's up next?

"You need not worry, as you have a great deal of time left," Igor says. "So do not rush, and feel free to proceed at your own pace. I must admit, your trials have become most fascinating!" Igor lets out a dry snicker.

I sigh. Looks like it's time to for things to get back in gear.

As darkness shrouds my eyes, the Velvet Room fades into mist.

* * *

**September 13, 2015  
Time of Day: Afternoon  
Weather: Sunny  
Place: Destiny High**

After a week and a half of school, everyone is starting to get the back into the flow of actually waking up before 3PM. On the first day of school, Roxas and I actually skipped because we had to get our summer work done, so we had a shit ton of fun trying to explain to our teacher as to why we weren't there that day. We just _had_ to get the resident hardass teacher, Mr. Xehanort. I swear, that bald jackass is about as heartless as the _actual _Heartless! Geez, the track record for my Junior year of highschool ain't looking so good. Mom and Dad are gonna slaughter me...

On another note, Riku is apparently having fun with his Senior year… Yeah, not really. People are still scared of the poor guy. Hopefully he's doing the best he can without us. Although, people are looking at him differently as of late, mainly because of what he during at the summer festival. Hopefully in a good way.

Kairi is apparently having fun going to school. It's probably because literally everyone treats her like a queen. Seriously, I don't even know if she's done one bit of work this past year. I think even the teachers are buttering up to her! Probably the only class where everyone isn't doing all of her work, is the one class she shares with me. I for one make the girl do her work so she doesn't become too much of a spoiled brat. Just because she's a celebrity status, doesn't mean she's gonna be lazy!

God, I think I'm sounding way too much like my dad right now.

What sucks though is that it's getting me major flak from the other students because I make her do work! Either it's that, or it's because when I walked into the classroom on my first day there, she came up to me, hugged me, and then proceeded to drag me into the seat next to her, saying it was "reserved for me" when in reality, she pushed some guy out of his seat. Yeah, I'm pretty sure I'm on literally every guy in the school's hit list now.

Luckily, I have Yuffie, Namine, and Roxas to protect me from any of Kairi's fans from assaulting me! Well, at least Yuffie. Namine doesn't look like she can put up much of a fist fight, and Roxas… He gets beat up by Yuffie all the time, so I don't exactly trust him with my well being. Ugh, if only I could summon my Persona in this world! Then nobody's gonna be messing with me!

Going past the thought of Izanagi beating up students with the Keyblade, it's after school, and I'm walking out of the school's front door talking with Yuffie, Roxas, and Namine. Riku's nowhere to be found, and Kairi is off at some club.

"I was kinda surprised," Yuffie says.

"By what?" Namine asks.

"That Xion guy!" she replies.

"Oh, the distinguished 'Detective Prince'?" Roxas mockingly asks.

"She's talking about the interview he had last night," I deadpan. "Would you try taking this seriously for once?"

"Geez, what's your problem?" he asks. Sorry bro, still a bit ticked off at what Margaret warned me about. And the hate note I got in my locker. Screw you, Wakka, whoever the hell that is.

"Anyway, he doesn't seem like he was the type that would go on TV," Yuffie says.

"Indeed, I prefer not to do such things," a voice to my right says. I turn towards the voice, and I see Xion in our school uniform!

"So why's the Tiny Detective wearing our school uniform?" I ask.

"I have a name you know," Xion hisses. "It's Xion Shirogane to you. Anyway, to answer you question, I've transferred her for the time being."

"And why, may I ask?" For some reason, something about this guy rubs me the wrong way. But I don't know what...

"And that's why I need to talk to you," he replies. "And _only_ you. This concerns the rest of your friends, but I have reason to believe that you're their leader."

* * *

**Time of Day: Afternoon  
Weather: Sunny  
Place: Destiny Islands- Riverbank**

"I was hoping to disclose my current thoughts on the case with you," Xion says.

"What do you mean?" I ask. "The case has been closed for a while now."

"That's what the public has been told at least. Let me elaborate. First, there are commonalities between the victims," Xion continues. "They were always kidnapped before they were murdered. They were always locals who'd suddenly obtained a large amount of attention though a certain degree of media attention. In any case, I believe the victim's personal traits were of minimal importance. There are several of you who fit this profile, aren't there?"

I raise my eyebrow, and try to look analytical. "How do you figure that?"

Xion tips his black casquette hat. What, is he trying to go for a stereotype detective look? "There was a lengthy gap between the second and third murders… But there wasn't a gap between the number of disappearances that fit these criteria. Namine Amagi, Riku Tatsumi, and Kairi Kujikawa.

"That's true."

"All three of you went missing after you were featured on TV, but somehow only those three people managed to turn back up… Or perhaps you disguised yourselves as victims to avert police suspicion."

"What are you getting at?!" Yeah, no way in hell is this guy gonna accuse us of being the killers after all the shit we did in the Mirror World!

"Some of you were in contact with the victims, so perhaps one of you was…"

"Hey, wait a minute! You can't just-"

"I wasn't finished talking," Xion interrupts. "I considered it a possibility, but now I believe the exact opposite."

"How so?"

"You and your friends aren't the killers, but rather people who are somehow able to pursue the culprit in a way unknown to the authorities." Xion glares at me. "You obtain a new ally each time you rescue someone. If I look at it from that angle, all of the dots connect." If you look at it from my angle, I see someone trying too hard to be Sherlock Holmes. "But if that's the case, then something isn't right with Vexen's murder."

"That's true… He didn't get media attention, nor did he go missing," I add. Ugh dammit, why does this guy have to be so right?

"Above all else, there was an inconsistency with his corpse."

"But wasn't he found the same ways as Larxene and that Amano lady?" I ask. "Y'know, tied to a paopu tree?"

"True, he was found in a similar position, but we were originally unable to identify the cause of death for the prior two cases. The difference is that it was found out that Vexen died from blunt force directed to the head. The police are unable to satisfactorily resolve this issue, but they are desperate to close the case."

"So?"

"As a result, action must be taken to obtain… Conclusive evidence." As Xion finishes, nothing is heard except the wind blowing the grass, and the cicadas chirping in the background. "I wonder how all of this will pan out?" Xion turns around. "I don't think of this as a game, Sora Narukami."

"Neither do I, Detective Prince."

* * *

**September 16, 2015  
Time of Day: Night  
Weather: Rainy  
Place: Dojima Residence **

Oh Drunk Zack, how will this household be without you? At least Usagi is asleep so she doesn't have to smell the booze and tobacco.

"Jesus, that stuuuupid Xion brat is such a…. Such a…" Zack pukes into the toilet.

I gently pat his back. "Just let it all out man, let it all out." After Radiant Garden, I know his pain.

"That smartass think he knows _everything_!" Zack yells. "Little bitch thinks he tell us how to do our jobs?!"

"What happened?"

"The bastard was bugging and nagging and being a prick about how we weren't handling the goddamn case correctly!" Zack hurls into his porcelain throne. "Out of all people, Terra... you know Terra, right?"

"Your ditsy co-worker?"

"Yes! Yes, that piece of crap!" Zack points at me with both hands. "Terra just _had_ to say something, so then the brat calls us idiots for hiring such a bumbling buffoon!"

"Looks like you're having a tough time," I say as I comfort him.

"Ahhh, fuckit." Zack gets up from the floor. "I'm goin' to bed."

* * *

**Time of Day: Midnight**

"_Good evening, everyone."_ Xion appears on the mirror in an eerie yellow glow. For some reason, he's wearing a lab coat that has sleeves too long for him. His voice is shrill, and has a slight echo to it. This is definitely his Heartless talking. "_I am the Detective Prince, Xion Shirogane. Welcome to the experiment of the century, Le Projet de Marionnettes! I shall hereby undergo a body-altering operation!"_

A what?

"_I will use a glorious, yet secretive, method! Everyone will get to see as I embark on my new journey. Watch as I am born anew!" _Circular saws and drills appear around Xion, attached to robotic arms. "_It will be the day I start walking down a completely different path in life. I would like to share this commemorative day with all of you."_ Xion stares directly at me. "_Be sure to come."_

* * *

**September 17, 2015**  
**Time of Day: ?  
Weather: Foggy  
Place: Mirror World- Secret Laboratory X**

"What is this place?" Riku asks.

"Kinda reminds me of those secret labs you'd find in some B-rated action flick," Roxas says.

Upon entering the Mirror World, Donald and Kairi worked together to figure out where Xion would be. They just so happened to lead us to this strange place. Roxas is right in the way he describes the place actually, because it really does look like a secret lab from a campy action movie! As we approach the entrance of the building, sirens go off, red lights flash, and a large metal door opens to the sound of gears turning. Inside is a long hall with a large metal door at the end of the room.

Yeah, something is definitely going to ambush us when we get near the end of the hall.

"Apparently, it sucks to act for movies with sets like these," Kairi says. "It's stuffy and hot as hell with the stage lights."

"Hey Donald, aren't the dungeons in this world made from people's repressed emotions?" I ask.

"Yes, but why bring that up now?" Donald asks.

"You guys remember what Xion said on the Midnight Reflection, right?" I ask. "He said that he was going to walk down a completely different path in life, or something like that. Doesn't it sound like he's rejecting his life as a detective?"

"What of it?" Namine asks.

"This secret lab… It looks like on of those old sets where a young detective solves a case, or where heroes would fight the villain."

"You have a point," Roxas says. "But if this came from Xion's mind, the guy doesn't seem as grown up as he makes himself look."

"I don't know about that, but there's one thing that makes sense to me," Riku says.

"And what's that?" I ask.

"Xion… He's definitely running away from something."

"_**WARNING! INTRUDERS!"**_ Red sirens goes off, and a large TV shows up next to us.

"Ah." Xion shows up on the TV… Composed as ever? "It's about time you arrived. Dealing with this _child _is such a pain."

The camera video feed pans backward, and… What the hell is going on here? Why is Xion's Heartless on the floor? Shouldn't it be taunting her or whatever instead of bawling its ass off?

"_Nooo! No, no, don't go!"_ the Heartless says. It's wearing the same oversized labcoat as in the Reflection.

"Are you kidding me?" Roxas asks. "That's Xion's Heartless?"

"Guys, heads up!" Kairi warns.

Out of nowhere, Heartless burst out of the walls. Some of them look like red and black mechanical blocks with spider legs. Other look like blue cannons and demonic gumball machines. What's odd is, they all have a cartoonish feel to it.

"**PERSONA!"**

"Riku, use Dark Follower to bust that door open, the rest of us will cover you!" I order.

"Got it!" Riku and his Persona slam through the wall of Heartless, and get to unsealing the large metal door. The rest of us protect him from oncoming assault.

"It's useless speaking with you." Xion turns away from his doppelganger. "I'm leaving."

"_Why? Why are you leaving me here?!"_ his Heartless asks. "_Why am I always left all alone?! It's so lonely, I don't wanna be alone!"_

"You wear the same face as me. Are you implying we're one and the same?" Xion asks. "That's presumptuous. The difference between you and I is that-"

Xion's Heartless laughs. Its demeanor less fearful, and more cold and calculating. "_Why delude yourself? You know the truth, don't you?"_ Large lights light up, focusing on Xion and her copy. "_I am you! These childish gestures are no lie, they are the truth!"_ Heartless Xion stands up with its arms raised, with a crazed grin and wild look in its eyes.

"Xion, don't argue with it!" Yuffie warns. "You'll just-"

"NO!" Riku interrupts. "He has to face this. After all… We had to do the same." Riku's voice is filled with a determination. I haven't seen him like this since…

Since he fought his own Heartless.

"_The fools all say it, don't they? 'You're only a child! Just a measly child!' As long as they need you, you'll always be their little Ace Detective," _Xion's Heartless rambles.

Gears around them start to grind together, and the platform under the two rise up. "_But once you've finished the job, it's back to being a little brat. You haven't the means to deal with society's two-faced nature. You're just a lonely child."_

The Heartless grins. "_I wanna be a big kid now!"_ it mockingly says. "_Then they'll see me for who I really am. I want a reason for me to stay. I want a reason for me to live!"_

Xion falls onto his knees. "That's enough… I can find my own reason for living."

"_You are but a child. How can you change that essential truth?"_

Xion clenches his head. "Stop it!"

"_At your core, you admire the sort of 'strong' and 'cool' men who populate detective fiction. But in trying to emulate them, you must know that, in truth, you're nothing of the sort._"

"Shut up!" Xion's voice becomes more shrill.

"_Xion Shirogane… Isn't it such a cool, masculine name? But a name doesn't change the truth."_

"Stop it!" Xion gets back on his feet.

"_It won't let you cross the gender barrier, so how could you become an ideal man… If you were never male to being with?!"_

Wait.

What?

"Did I hear that right?" Namine asks.

"S-So he… Is a she?" Riku asks.

"_I won't throw a tantrum, as that would accomplish nothing! How often have I heard that throwing a tantrum won't solve anything?" _the Heartless asks. "_They made you cry, didn't they? Yet here you are, mimicking those same men. What exactly are you trying to justify?"_

Xion's doppelganger walks close to him… Err, her, and stares Xion right in the eyes with its dead amber eyes. "_You needn't suffer anymore. I know exactly how you feel. After all, I am you."_

"No!" Xion backs away.

"Don't say it!" Donald says.

"No, we have to let her deal with it!" Riku's Persona readies his fists. "Otherwise, she'll continue to suffer!" They punch through the metal door, bringing us to Xion and her transforming Heartless.

As it laughs maniacally, it sinks into a pool of darkness. Once its laugh dies out, it bursts out of the pool at breakneck speed, revealing its true form.

It's a human sized wooden puppet with giant demonic bat wings. The wood it's made of is decaying, and dark, pulsing veins wrap around every part of the body. It has two crazed red and yellow eyes, and sharp rotten teeth. On its chest is a Heartless emblem, and in its hands are toy laser guns. They look harmless, but knowing how Heartless work, those look like they can cause some serious damage.

"_I am a Heartless… The true self… I am the demon you revoke!"_ the Heartless chants.

"We just got do our thing, and kick this Heartless' ass!" A strong, pulsing aura is radiating from Riku and his Persona, Dark Follower. What's got him so determined to help Xion?

"_How dare you act so high and mighty!"_ the Heartless complains. "_I hate tough guys who let their emotions get the best of them!"_

"Oh, then you're gonna _love_ dealing with me!" Riku retorts.

"_Fine then!_" Drills and circular saws are pointed at us. "_It's body altering time!"_

Xion is grabbed by four mechanical arms, and is put on an operating table. Her arms are bound by mechanical large mechanical locks. "Stop it! Let me go!"

"_What, are you guys sick of yourselves too? Time for the special operation!"_ Heartless Xion points its gun at Roxas' Persona, Twilight Thorn. A purple beam shoots out of it, instantly dissipating Roxas' Persona. He falls onto the floor, and I run to pick him up, but something doesn't seem right. His skin is all loose and leathery, and his hair is a pure white!

"Huh? Did she modify muh body?" Roxas asks in a dry, raspy voice.

"No, you're just really old!" I say bluntly.

"She what? I can't hear ya old chum!"

"Wha- What happened to Roxas?!" Donald asks.

"_Operation 01 has failed. Subject A has been turned senile and elderly," _the Heartless analyses. "_Only solution is to change the frequency of Laser Version 3.14 and try again on another subject!" _Xion's doppelganger laughs maniacally. Every laugh sounds like tortured screams. "_Time to commence Operation 02!"_

As the Heartless readies its weapon, I pick up Roxas and we all run for cover.

"No! I don't want wrinkles!" Namine screams.

"I'd rather die!" Kairi yells.

"Is that what you're seriously worried about?!" Yuffie asks.

I run behind a metal table on it side, and put Roxas back down. "Hey Sora, you've been such a great friend to me," Old Roxas says.

"Not the best, really," I reply.

"I feel as though we've been friends for decades…"

"It hasn't even been half a year since we met."

"It feels like just yesterday we entered the Mirror World to go lookin' fer Xion!"

An explosion goes off behind me. "Roxas, that's now!"

"_Time for the second experiment!" _ The Heartless points the laser at the girls. A beam almost hits them, but Donald jumps into the blast!

When the light from the blast disappears, Donald is nowhere to be found.

"Oh my god, she killed Donald!" I scream.

"No!" a squeaky voice says. "Down here!" I look down at my feet, and there's a miniscule version of Donald. "The Heartless only made me smaller!"

"_Curses!"_ the Heartless yells. "_Another failure!"_ Xion's Heartless flies toward her. "_Sorry for the wait, I just wanted to test out the laser calibration. Now let's begin the TRUE operation!" _The Heartless flashes a crooked grin as it points a drill at Xion.

An orb of purple lightning strikes the drill, sending it flying. "Don't forget about me, freak!" Riku yells.

The Heartless shoots its gun at Riku. He doesn't change appearance, but he's knocked over, and debris buries him and his Persona.

"Izanagi!" Izanagi rushes toward the Heartless, ready to strike, but Xion's Heartless quickly dashes away. It raises its hand, and a vortex of wind appears under Izanagi. I can slowly feel air being sucked out of my lungs the longer Izanagi stands in the vacuum.

"Sora!" I look toward Kairi, with her Persona, Aurora, scanning the battlefield. "It's gonna use the same attack, so it'd be best if you switch to something that resists wind!"

"Pegasus!" Izanagi shatters into millions of azure-colored ethereal shards of glass. Then out of a tornado full of clouds and lighting is a pure white stallion with giant snow white wings. It has a blue tail and mohawk.

Xion's Heartless creates another tornado, but Pegasus uses its wings to disperse the violent winds. He then proceeds to flap his wings with increased force, sending powerful gusts of wind back at the Heartless. To no avail, the Heartless keeps on flying at what seems to be mach speed!

"Why is this thing so fast?"

"It's going to use a fire attack next!" Kairi warns.

"Witch Doctor!" Pegasus disappears from the battlefield in the same manner as Izanagi. What replaces him are black and green clouds, with ghosts arising from the ground. When the eerie smokes clears, a man with a skull mask, in a purple suit appears. He has a necklace of bones, purple cards in his hands, and a matching top hat emblazoned with a skull and crossbones.

"_Try this on for size!"_ the Heartless yells as explosions go off around us.

Witch Doctor raises his hands, and shadows start chasing the Heartless. The shadows are fast, but they still can't keep up with the speedy asshole. "Will you stop moving for just a second?!"

"_How about you shut up, you pest!"_ the Heartless shoots it laser at me. I try to move, but my legs won't move for some reason!

"No!" Kairi screams as light engulfs me.

When the light around me disappears, I don't feel any different. I don't feel old, and everything looks the same size as it was. "Hey guys! I think-" I cover my mouth. Why is my voice higher than it normally is?

"_Yes! Yes! Yes! The operation was a success!" _The Heartless celebrates. What do you mean successful?

"S-Sora…" Kairi says. "Y-You're a-"

"Girl!" Yuffie screams.

WHAT?!

I scream, but I quickly cover my mouth my high pitched shriek. I shuffle my hair, and it's much longer and less gravity defying. Wait, does that mean… I look down, and my chest is slightly bigger.

I have boobs… I don't know if I should feel mortified or ecstatic.

Xion's Heartless starts laughing. "_Now, back to the original patient!" _It flies back to the bound Xion.

"Stop it….Please don't hurt them anymore!" Xion pleads.

"_Why care about others when all they do is hurt you?"_ the Heartless asks. "_I've been bad at making friends since I was little. Even after my parents died in an accident, and Grandfather took me in, I never made any friends. Grandfather would secretly let me help with his clients' cases, and before I knew it, I was the prodigy detective! At first, everyone went nuts about me, but then the bastards frowned up on me for my age or gender! With time, I can become an adult. But… But I can't do anything about being a girl! That'll never change, even after I grow up!_" Xion's Heartless points its guns at Xion. "_That's why I'm going to give you a new life as my present to you."_

"Cut the crap!" Riku's Persona breaks through the rubble. "I suck at making friends, too! So what?" Riku's Persona summons its bat wing-shaped sword, and chucks it at Xion's Heartless. It misses, and the Heartless retaliates with another barrage of laser blasts. Riku and Dark Follower are damaged, but they stand their ground. "I could use some help here, Sora!"

"Got it!" Oh dear god, I'm never gonna get used to this voice. I put both my hands in front of me, and six arcana card appear in a hexagon. I clasp my hands together, and the cards shatter.

"Take flight, Sephiroth!" The sound of glass shattering is accompanied by a pillar of fire bursting out of the ground. From the inferno ascends a man in dark clothing and silver hair. He has a ridiculously long sword in his hand, and one pitch black and navy wing.

Sephiroth flies into the air at speeds I can't even begin to comprehend. He's able to catch up to Xion's Heartless, and slash it using his sword, sending the enemy flying into a wall. Sephiroth pummels the Heartless into submission as a follow up, until the Heartless falls onto the ground below.

"The damage you've caused it has slowed it down exponentially!" Kairi tells us. Kairi's Persona focuses on Sephiroth floating in midair. "Guys, we have to get out of here now!" He raises his left hand above him, and the ceiling of the laboratory burst open, revealing large meteors falling towards us in the sky.

As everyone scuffles for the exit, I pick Roxas back up, and Riku unchains Xion then carries her in his arms.

As I run out the exit, I put down Roxas. "Is everyone okay?" An explosion goes off behind us, and sends each of us flying.

"Reflect!" Donald's Persona extends its wings, and a large dome of light shields us from the incoming waves of fire and debris. The entire dome is engulfed in flames, but we're all protected under the dome. Once the fire fades away, we're welcome to a sight worthy of an post-apocalypse flick. The earth is scorched, the laboratory is nothing but rubble and charred debris, and any nearby buildings are practically non-existent. As any residual flames die out, the magic barrier Donald summoned disperses in a spray of light.

"Remind me never to do that again," I tell everyone. I put down Grandpa Roxas on the ground, and Riku puts Xion down.

"So… You heard everything, huh?" she asks.

"You really don't want to be a girl?" Riku asks.

"It just doesn't fit my ideal image of a detective. If people saw me for who I really am, I'd be looked down upon."

"Screw them then," Riku argues. "I can tell you don't really want to be an adult so soon, much less being a guy." He points to Xion's Heartless in it's human form. It's on the ground crying again. "Try facing yourself. It's the only way you'll get past all of this."

Xion looks toward her copy, and walks up to it. "All this time, I've been pretending you don't exist. You've always been a part of me. I am you… And in turn, you're me."

Xion's Heartless looks at her with teary eyes. "It's been my dream to become a cool, hard-boiled detective… Please do your best to make that happen."

"I'll be sure to do just that. I'll accept myself for who I really am."

The Heartless is engulfed in a blue light. As the light fades away, a woman in armor appears. The armor is colored white, pink, gold and black. It has mechanical green wings, and a golden sword. Xion's Persona turns into a arcana card, and lands in Xion's hand.

"You're a devious bunch," Xion says. "I can't believe you've kept something like this hidden for so long. No wonder the perpetrator has eluded the police for so long."

"Woah, what the hell happened?!" I turn around, and Roxas is back to his old self. "What happened to the Heartless? Why's everything destroyed?"

"Hey, I'm back to normal!" To my right, Donald is back to his old size.

"You guys are back to normal!" Hey, I don't sound like a girl anymore! I look at my chest. "Yay, I don't have boobs anymore!"

"What the hell are you talking about?" Roxas asks.

Xion laughs. "You guys are pretty interesting." She starts to fall over

"I got ya!" Riku swifty catches her.

Xion smiles. "I should probably tell you that I never doubted that you guys would come for me."

"Think before you do things, okay?" Riku warns. "That's not being a genius, that's just being plain reckless!"

"But at least… Now we know for sure that this case isn't really over."

* * *

**October 6, 2015**  
**Time of Day: Noon  
Weather: Cloudy  
Place: Destiny High- Rooftop**

"So I was at home when I got kidnapped," Xion says. "It started when my doorbell rang. When I opened my front door no one was there. Then out of nowhere, someone covered my mouth with something and a bag was put over my head. I was tossed into something reminiscent of a sack, and then picked up and carried me on their shoulder."

"How could you remember all of that?" Riku asks.

"I was psychologically prepared for it," she says. "Anyway, judging by the culprit's actions and body type, I'd say the culprit is definitely a man. I heard no voices or conversations, so it's easy to presume he works alone. After that, I was shoved into something flat, which I assume is when I was thrown into a mirror."

"So all of that happened the moment you opened your front door?" I ask. "Damn, this guy doesn't waste any time."

"There is no question that the culprit is the same in each case," Xion says.

"What about that Pence guy who killed Vexen?" Roxas asks.

"That was just a copycat killing. But the question remains, though as to how he learned of the world inside the mirror."

"That's actually been bothering me for a while," Yuffie says. "Why would he decide to kill Frosty the same way as he tried to kill us?"

"I believe that he didn't understand the other world as well as the true culprit," Xion explains. "Even though I now can enter it myself, it would never occur to me to use it for murder. Pence's criminal act did verify one thing though."

"And what's that?" Riku asks.

"The killer isn't retrieving the bodies and binding them to paopu trees, that's just what happens when you're killed on the other side."

"So he isn't trying to send some cray message?" I ask.

"It'd be great if we could ask Pence in person, as a way to test our speculation."

"But if you were so calm, couldn't you have asked him? I don't mean you needed to catch him, but really just get some info out of our killer."

Xion slightly blushes. "T-to tell you the truth, I was really… Scared. Sorry."

"No need to be." I wave my hand at her. "In that situation, anyone would be. You do have major balls for trying out your whole theory though."

"Hey Sora, way too soon to be saying that," Riku deadpans.

"Wait, what do you… Oh crap, that was uncalled for!" After just finding out that Xion was pretending to be a guy, saying she has balls should be the last thing I should say...

"A-Anyway, this case isn't just a job to me anymore. Because I was captured, this just became personal, and I want to find out who did this to me. So please, allow me to join in your efforts! Please let me use Poppet to help you guys!" Poppet? Must be her Persona's name.

"Yeah, the fact that you got a Persona means you're pretty much part of the team already. In fact, these will make you an official member!" I take out a pair of round blue glasses and hand them to Xion.

Xion smiles. "Thank you! I'll make sure that we'll find the identity of the person that did this!"

* * *

**The funny thing about the chapter is that night I uploaded the previous one, I decided to stay up until like 4AM writing this one! I even got halfway through it! Here I am a week later, staying up until 4AM finishing writing the chapter!**

**As you can see, I have really bad sleeping habits.**

**Also, has there been any confusion to anyone about Xion? Because before this chapter, I used the male pronoun 'he' to describe her, which might have confused people. If you played Persona, you'd already know why I used that pronoun, but if you didn't, you probably would've chalked it up to a mistake. **

**Anyway, since the fight that occurred before the one in the chapter was a while ago, I feel like a refresher of the names of everyone's Personas is called for. **

**Sora- Izanagi  
Roxas- Twilight Thorn  
Yuffie- Tomoe Gozen  
Namine- Konohana Sakuya  
Riku- Dark Follower  
Kairi- Aurora  
Donald- Merlin  
Xion- Poppet**

**To be honest, I don't think I've mentioned the name of Donald's Persona at all. Sorry if I've confused any of because of that. **

**Anyway, thanks for reading this chapter! I hope you enjoyed!**


	19. Anniversary of our Family

**Chapter 19: Anniversary of our Family**

**Time of Day: ?  
Weather: Foggy  
Place: The Velvet Room**

"Welcome to the Velvet Room, Sora," Igor greets.

"With your new bond, you have managed to obtain the Fortune Arcana," Margaret informs me. "Formally known as the Wheel of Fortune, this Arcana symbolizes fate, luck, fortune, and opportunity."

"People of the Fortune Arcana, such as your comrade Xion, seize their own destiny in spite of the world around them," Igor preaches. "Through patience and determination, they may even attempt to break fate and manifest their own destiny."

In a warm azure light, a blue card appears above Margaret's book. As it lands on her compendium, it shatters into ethereal shards. Margaret opens her book, showing Xion on one page, and the Fortune Arcana on the opposite. Like its namesake, it has the appearance of an ornate wheel.

Margaret and Igor each pick up a champagne glass. "I make a toast to your effort so far Sora." Igor raises his glass

"Only a heart can bond with another heart." Margaret follows suit. "It just so happens that the stronger the bond, the stronger the heart becomes as well."

Wait, where's my champagne glass to look fancy and shit?

As darkness shrouds my eyes, the Velvet Room fades into mist.

* * *

****October 11, 2015******  
******Time of Day: Day  
Weather: Sunny  
Place: Dojima Residence****

"Usagi, where are the band aids?" I ask, whilst putting the cut on my finger in my mouth.

"They're in a metal box in the cabinet!" she replies from in front of the TV.

"Thanks!" What had happened was that I cut myself while I was preparing lunch for the two of us. It's not too big of a cut, but it is bleeding a bit. As I dig through the cabinet Usagi told me about, I find the band aids. I wrap one around my finger, and as I put back the box, a metal case falls out. Its contents spill open, most of it being what seems to be junk, but one thing catches my eye.

It's a picture of Zack, Usagi, and another woman. She's very attractive, and has a pink dress on with a red jacket over it. Her hair long brown hair has a large pink ribbon in it. Could this be Zack's wife?

"Oh, it's a picture of Mommy!" Usagi says from behind me. "That's from when we went to the beach together! So this is where it went."

"What do you mean? Did you two lose it or something?"

"Daddy put away all of our picture of Mommy."

"What? Why would he?"

"He did that right after she died in that car accident," she says. "I don't know much about it since Daddy won't tell me anything. Do you think he'll get angry if I keep this picture?"

"How about I ask him for you?" I don't see the problem in letting have the one picture. "Maybe we can even frame it!"

"Really? Thanks!" Usagi smiles, but her face turns slightly somber.

* * *

****Time of Day: Night  
Weather: Clear Skies****

"I'm back, guys," Zack mumbles from the foyer. He immediately slouches onto the sofa once he takes his shoes off.

"Hey Zack, so I happened to find this when looking for a band aid." I show him the picture of he, his wife, and Usagi. "Usagi seems to like it, so I was thinking we could frame it."

Zack's eyes focus on the photo for another second or two, but then sighs and averts his gaze elsewhere. "To be honest, at this point you know her better than I do," he says. "It's up to you to decide."

"Daddy! You're back!" Usagi dashes down the stairs, paper in hand. "I have something for you!"

"Yeah? What is it?"

"Well, Daddy, um… Today at school, I got a…" Usagi's grip tightens on the paper as she hunches forward. "My tummy really hurts."

I lower myself to her. "Are you okay?"

"Was it something you ate," Zack asks.

"I dunno… My stomach feels icky…" she whimpers.

"We should call a doctor! Hasn't this happened before?" Zack asks. "Does it feel like the last time your stomach hurt?"

"I'm not sure…"

"Damn… Where'd I put that medicine?" A cell phone rings. Zack, I swear to god, if you pick that up I'll- "Dammit Terra, not now! I'm hanging up!" From the speaker I can hear his panicked coworker say 'It's a letter!' "What? is it from Mr. Nomura? When did it arrive? You forgot?! For the love of god- I'm on my way!"

"Daddy…" Usagi whimpers.

"Zack, what the heck?!" I yell. His daughter's in pain, and he's leaving now of all times?

He starts slipping his shoes back on. "Sora, there should be some meds in the first aid box. Please take care of her." Zack heads out the door, closing it on his way out. Zack, what the hell is wrong with you? You can't just prioritize work like that!

After finding the medicine Zack was talking about, Usagi seems to be back to her regular self. Just to make sure she doesn't strain herself, I'm just sitting down with her on the couch to keep her company.

"Hey Big Bro… Is Daddy… My real father?" she asks. I didn't expect _that_ to come from her! "I was thinking that maybe I'm not Daddy's real daughter."

"Why's that?"

"Because the bad guys are more important to Daddy than I am." Usagi looks at me with sad eyes. "Today he just rushed out and… Left me behind…"

Change the subject, change the subject, change the- Yes! Thank you paper Usagi dropped! "Hey, what's this?" I pick up the deus ex machina of all paper.

"They passed it out at school today," she tells me. "My teacher told me to give it to our parents. She said to put down what time they'd be available to come and watch, but… Daddy has work, so he can't come."

I put on a brave smile. "How about we ask him when he gets back?"

Usagi smiles with me. "Okay, let's!"

* * *

****October 12, 2015******  
******Time of Day: Afternoon  
Weather: Rainy  
Place: Destiny Islands Police Department****

Just great, I'm back at the place where they arrested me when I first moved here. At least this time I'm only dropping off clothes instead of being questioned.

"Moron!" I hear Zack yell. "Saying 'I don't know' Doesn't cut it! It's a detective's duty to do whatever it whatever it takes to solve a case."

"I-I'm sorry," Terra apologizes. He sighs and starts organizing some papers on a desk while Zack walks away in an exasperated way.

From what Zack has told me, Terra is a recent police academy graduate, who was sent here probably two or so months before me. From how I've seen him act, and how Zack complains about him all the time, I can tell he's a ditz and a bit empty minded. I can almost imagine Zack complaining about how he can't imagine how Terra became a cop.

"Hey, what's up Terra?" I greet. "Where'd Zack go?"

"Huh? Oh, it's you Sora. Zack should be back in a bit. He's probably having a stress smoke so you can sit while you wait."

"Thanks, man."

"No problem." Terra sighs. "Man, Zack really never lets things go, does he? Is he like that at home too?"

"What do you mean by that?"

"He isn't convinced that the gamer kid we arrested isn't the real guy, so he's doing his own research," he informs. "Not to mention he's going nuts over the recent hit-and-run." Panic fills Terra's face. "Crap, I gotta get back to what I was doing!" He runs off, sloppily carrying files in his arms.

"Yeah, you better!" a voice from behind me says. "Hey there, Sora. I see that you've finally met the reason why I come home drunk occasionally."

Occasionally? More like frequently! "Aww, don't be like that to the guy. Anyway, here's the change of clothes you asked me for." I hand him the bag I was holding. "And then there's this." Out of my pocket, I take out the form that he needs to sign for Usagi and hand it to him. "It's a parent-teacher conference thing Usagi needed you to sign. They need to know when you can make it."

"Oh, whenever is fine," he tells me. "I'll fill it out later." Will you really? Or are you just saying that? "Also, I probably won't be home tonight." Of course you won't.

"By the way, Usagi is feeling better," I tell him.

"That's good." Zack looks at his watch. "Hey, do you have a minute? I want to talk to you about something."

"Sure I do." Zack drags me off to an empty room. It's not an interrogation room, because the room they brought me to last time didn't have a couch and vending machine.

"I've been meaning to tell you about Aerith's accident." Zack hands me a black folder. It has some random numbers on a label, so probably some police code that I don't know. "Last night, I got a call from my old mentor, Mr. Nomura. I asked for his help on a hit-and-run case, and his results just came in. Take a look."

I open the file and there are pictures of the crime scene, what type of car hit her, and stuff I can't understand. "What does all of this mean?"

"What hit her was a sedan, and it definitely wasn't from around here," Zack tells me. "Records indicate that it wasn't taken in to get scrapped or repaired. But you see, there was a similar incident last week. The initial investigation we're currently conducting is critical."

"Why haven't you told Usagi about the accident?" She has every right to know about this.

"Aerith was… Aerith was hit on her way to pick up Usagi." Zack continues. "It was a cold day, and there weren't any witnesses, so no one found her until it was too late." Zack rests his head on his palm. "Usagi had been stuck waiting at the preschool all by herself. She was all alone… Waiting for someone who would never come…"

I try to comfort him, but no words come.

"I couldn't tell Usagi that her mother had been killed. I'm supposed to catch the criminals, and I didn't have a clue as to who killed her. But I _will_ catch the culprit!"

"What about Usagi?"

"What do you mean?"

"Yeah, it's important that you find out who did it, but maybe you should stay with Usagi when she's feeling down!"

"What do you know?" Zack's voice becomes abrasive. "Just mind your own business."

I sigh, and avert my gaze somewhere else. "Fine."

* * *

****Time of Day: Night  
Weather: Rainy  
Place: Dojima Residence****

"Big bro, where's that paper?" Usagi asks. "Did Daddy fill it out?"

"Yeah, he said whenever would be fine." Oh Usagi, I sometimes I wonder what blissful ignorance is like. Or is she? She's pretty smart for her age, and she did pop the 'Is he my real dad?' question last night.

"Really?!" Usagi's face lights up. "Daddy's going to come? Yay, I'm so happy!"

"Isn't that great, Usagi?"

"Yep! This is my first parent-teacher conference! Everyone says their parents are coming!"

Okay, that's _definitely_ blissful ignorance. My parent-teacher conferences never went well. "Oh yeah! I nearly forgot!" I reach into my bag behind me. I take out the framed family photo, and hand it to Usagi. "I framed the picture we found yesterday."

Usagi smiles. "Thank you!" She melancholically stares at the picture. "Hey big bro, what happens after you die?"

Wow, she's really going far with the questions as of late! "You go to a place called Heaven."

"I knew it! So Mommy went to Heaven, right?"

"Of course! I'm sure she'll be watching over you during your conference."

"Yeah!" She nods her head. "Do you think I'll go to Heaven when I die?" Um, should I be concerned if a little girl is asking me these questions? "Could I see Mommy if I went there?"

I sigh. "Trust me Usagi, that's a _long_ way off."

* * *

****October 13, 2015******  
******Time of Day: Night  
Weather: Foggy  
Place: Dojima Residence****

"I'm back, guys," Zack mumbles from the foyer. He immediately slouches onto the sofa once he takes his shoes off.

"Welcome back!" Usagi runs up to him, the frame in hand. "Lookie, Daddy! We put Mommy's picture here!"

"Uh-huh…" Zack says wearily. He has some dark bags under his eyes, and the slight smell of tobacco makes the air around us stale.

"Daddy, do you remember this picture? It's from when we went to the beach."

"Usagi, please save it for later…"

"Oh, uhh…" Usagi has a disheartened look on her face. "Daddy, about coming to school… Where's the form?"

"Oh, this?" Zack pulls a slip of paper out of his jacket. "Listen... I don't think I'm going to be able to make it… Sorry, but I can't afford to go when I'm so busy."

"Zack what the hell?!" I butt in. "You promised!"

"Forget it…" Usagi's head is down. "You don't have to come. You have a case, right? You have work, right?" She lifts her head up, and tears are streaming down her face. "Those bad guys are more important to you than I am, aren't they?! Forget it! Just forget it!" Usagi runs up the stairs.

"Hey, Usagi!" Zack calls out. "Geez, what's gotten into her?"

I stare at him dumbfoundedly. "What do you mean by that?! She was looking forward to you going to her school! You can't just bail now!"

Zack grumbles. "What can I do? I've got work!"

"Maybe you should try paying more attention to your daughter?"

"Excuse me?" Zack shoots me a deadly look. Not as deadly as my mom's, but I can see that intimidating looks run in the family.

"If you actually told her about the hit-and-run, then maybe you'd-"

"I said to mind your own business!"

"What?" We look toward the stairs, and Usagi is back. "What hit-and-run?"

"You don't need to know," Zack persists.

"Why not?"

"Forget it!" Zack scolds.

More tears run down Usagi's face. "Why are you mad? How come you never listen to me? You _never_ do! Daddy, you're stupid! Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!"

Zack stands up. "Watch your mouth young lady!"

"Zack, don't you even-"

"It's not like you care about me anyway! You hate me, don't you?!" Usagi sobs, making Zack tense up. "You aren't… You aren't my real dad!" Usagi runs out the front door.

"Usagi, no!" I yell and follow her.

"Usagi, wait!" Zack follows.

We hurry outside, but it's too foggy to see anything. Instinctively, I grab for my glasses in my pocket, but they're not there. I'd go back inside the house to grab them, but we don't know how far she'll get if we waste any time. "I'll search for her in the shopping district."

"Okay, I'll try the rest of the residential area." We head off in separate directions.

* * *

****Place: Destiny Islands Beach****

After god knows how long the two of us have been running and searching for Usagi, we finally find her by the beach. It's not the place that most people go, as the sand is rocky and seaweed crawls up on shore.

"Usagi…" Zack whispers.

"Thanks god… We found her…" I breathe heavily. After how much and how fast I ran tonight, I should be on the track team!

"Hey… You should go to her… Right now, you're the family member she trusts most. She's more likely to-"

I slap him in the face. "That's from mom. She told me to slap some sense into you if you lost your way."

Zack lets out a small laugh. "That's Aqua for you… Although I didn't think she meant it literally..."

"Knowing her, she probably did." I point to Usagi. "Usagi needs a father. Last thing I remember, she's my cousin, not my daughter."

"Yeah…" Zack walks up to Usagi, and kneels down next to her.

"Daddy…" she whimpers.

"So this is where you've been," Zack says.

"When mommy was still alive, you, me, and mommy came here to pick flowers. Just the three of us."

"Yeah…"

"Mommy… Why did she leave me? I… I want to see Mommy!" Usagi starts sobbing again. "D-Daddy, did you forget about Mommy? You hid all of her pictures, and you never talk about her… Do you hate her now? Do you hate me too?"

"You've got it all wrong…" Zack hugs Usagi. "I'm sorry, Usagi… I'm always making you feel so lonely. It's just that… The guilt of not knowing who killed your mother is killing me. It made me forget what's in front of me!"

"Daddy!" Usagi sobs more, and they both tighten their embrace on each other.

"I'm sorry Usagi… Please forgive me…" Zack begs.

* * *

****October 14, 2015******  
******Time of Day: Night  
Weather: Cloudy  
Place: Dojima Residence****

"You know what, Big Bro?" Usagi asks.

"Yeah, what is it?"

"I've been lonely since Mommy died, but I bet Daddy has been lonely too." Usagi puts on a determined look. "From now on, I won't cry anymore. I have to work hard to cover for Mommy so Daddy won't get lonely!"

"That's good of you to do, Usagi."

"Let's work hard to make Daddy happy!"

"Yeah, you can count on me!"

"I'm home!" Zack's voice echos in the foyer. "And I have celebration cake."

"It's Daddy!" Usagi gets out her chair, and runs up to him.

After setting up the table and taking out the cake, Zack has us all sit at the table. The cake is nothing too special, but it still looks nice. It's covered in white icing, and has sugar roses on it.

"This is a special day for us as a family," he says.

"It is?" Usagi asks.

"Mhmm! It's the day when you, me, and Sora became a family!"

I jokingly put my hand on my chest. "And I wasn't part of it before?! I'm completely and utterly appalled!"

Usagi giggles and Zack grins. "At any rate, today is when we make it official!"

"Okay… I don't really get it, but isn't it great, Big Bro?" Usagi asks.

"Of course!" I reach toward the mug by my plate to drink some coffee, but then it hits me.

This is Aerith's mug.

I've always just used one of the white extra ones they had. Zack has his blue one, Usagi has a purple one, and Aerith's mug is red. "Hey Zack, this mug…"

"From today on, that's yours. Please use it. I'm sure Aerith would be very happy." Zack smiles.

"I'll treasure it."

"And before I forget…" Zack reaches into his jacket, and pulls out a slip of paper. and hands it to Usagi. Did he really get it signed? "

Usagi opens it with a curious look in her eyes. "Any… Time's… Okay…" she reads slowly.

"This time I promise I'll come!" Zack says

Usagi smiles. "You better!"

"So does this mean we can eat the cake now?" I ask. "Those sugar flowers are calling me…" Am I drooling? I can't tell if I'm drooling because the cake is distracting me.

Zack chuckles. "Then dig in! But Sora, can I just tell you something quick?"

"Then say it, I'm not stopping you."

"Listen… Families are meant to laugh, cry, and bicker. They spend most of their long lives together. They're supposed to be warm."

"Yup!" Usagi says.

"I can't believe I was avoiding that by chasing someone who had run away. You made me realize that, Sora. Thank you."

"I did it because we're family," I tell him.

"I'm going to continue to pursue the culprit who killed Aerith, But I won't use it as an excuse to run away. I'm doing it because I'm a detective. You see, this is my town. It's special to me since it's where you and Usagi are. That's why I'm going to continue protecting this town. I'm doing it both as a detective, and a father."

"Daddy, you're so cool!" Usagi cheers.

"You bet I am!" Zack and Usagi laugh together.

Before I eat my slice of cake, I turn around to the picture of Usagi, Zack, and Aerith. It's there on a table next to something that wasn't there before.

A brand new picture of the three of us together.

* * *

****And another chapter! I got this one done super fast! I posted this on a Saturday, so it seems like it took the same amount of time, but in reality, I actually finished this Tuesday night. I just happened to have some free time, so instead of studying like a model student, I decide to write this!****

**I'm failing Chemistry, someone send help. My grades are in hell.**

**On another note, how'd everyone like the chapter? It's one of the more dramatic ones in my opinion since I finally address the elephant in the room that is Zack's crappy parenting skills. Hopefully you guys didn't hate him too much for acting like a dick. **

**Also, time for the Persona Hearts Drinking Game! Every time Usagi says Daddy or Mommy, take a shot!**

**Anyway, see you next chapter! Also, this story has just reached 20 follows, and I'm super grateful to all of you!**


	20. DON'T SAVE ANYONE ANYMORE

**Chapter 20: DON'T SAVE ANYONE ANYMORE**

**Time of Day: ?  
Weather: Foggy  
Place: The Velvet Room**

As I open my eyes, no one else is in the Velvet Room. Another off day for my two mysterious hosts?

On Igor's table are several things. Pictures of Usagi and Zack, one Arcana card next to each of them, and three notes, each one addressed to me.

The handwriting of the first note is very dainty, and the paper it's on has designs of ornate flowers and masquerade masks on it. "_I see you have obtained the Hierophant and Justice Arcana. Congratulations. -Margaret"_

The second note is on the same paper, but the handwriting looks shaky, but still fairly legible. "_Your relative Usagi represents the Justice Arcana. These people strive for balance and fairness. Your Uncle Zack represents the Hierophant Arcana. People of this Arcana are wise and stoic individuals, but are obsessed with the past. -Igor"_

Yup, that second one _definitely_ sounds like Zack.

The third letter seems to also be written by Igor, as the handwriting is the same as the second one. "_Your Journey has been proven to be quite a long one. Will you be able to resolve your ordeal in time? There isn't much time left. Will you be able to reach out to the truth? At your lowest point, will you be your strongest?."_

Way to make me confused Igor. Seriously, sometimes I can't sleep at night because I have to decipher what the hell you're talking about.

But that's the least of my problems. I have one more cryptic letter to worry about. Out of my pocket, I take out a letter that reads only four simple, yet unnerving words.

**DON'T SAVE ANYONE ANYMORE**

As darkness shrouds my eyes, the Velvet Room fades into mist.

* * *

****October 31, 2015******  
******Time of Day: Afternoon  
Weather: Sunny  
Place: Moogle Co.- Food Court****

Xion hands me back my cryptic letter. "I did the best I could to look into it, but there's nothing that would indicate the sender's identity."

"I see..." I sigh. "Thanks, anyway."

"Since he personally left it for you in your mailbox, it's highly likely that the culprit is closer to us than we think. We should probably attempt searching for evidence that can help us reveal your sender's identity."

"Wow, are you sure you aren't Sherlock Holmes?" Roxas asks.

"Seriously, you're like a totally different person when you get serious about the case, " Kairi praises.

Xion blushes. "Huh? Y-You think so?"

"That's not important!" Riku butts in. "A dangerous criminal knows where one of us lives! Who knows what'll happen if we don't do something?"

"Yeah… I'm really worried," Namine says.

"Make sure to give us a call if anything happens," Yuffie says.

"Got it," I assure her.

* * *

****Place: Dojima Residence****

"Thank you!" Usagi closes the door.

"Who was that?" I ask.

"It was the mailman! He said that there was a package for Daddy."

"Oh, okay. Make sure you don't open the door for strangers, okay?"

Usagi smiles proudly. "I always do what my dad tells me, like not opening the door for strangers! Daddy also said to open the door for delivery men, because-" Usagi clears her throat. "Mail is important!" She makes her voice deeper, to sound like Zack, I guess.

I laugh. "That's good! Now c'mon, let's go back to watching TV."

After getting back home, there really wasn't much to do. It was too early to have dinner, and Usagi is doing her homework. Well, _was_ doing her homework. By the time I got home, she was already nearly done with hers! I wish I could say the same about mine.

"_Today, Mr. Tai Yasue of the Environmental Concern Society visited a local elementary school to talk about the 'Mysterious Fog' that has been appearing these past couple days," _the news reporter says.

"Oh, she came to my school!" Usagi says.

"Is that so?" I ask.

"_Today, I spoke with a young student who spoke her own mind, free from the influence around her,"_ Yasue says. "_It was an attitude and example that we as adults can learn from."_

Usagi sneezes. Her cheeks are red, and her eyes are unfocused. "My head hurts…"

I put my hand to her forehead, and it's burning hot! "I think you got a fever. Probably because it's getting cold out." Well, not _too_ cold since we live on islands, but it feels like fall out. I just don't get why people are breaking out their hoodies, while I'm over here still wearing shorts.

I'm probably just used to _actual_ winter.

I coax her into getting into bed, and after a couple minutes she gets in. "I hate the cold," she pouts.

"It'll be spring as soon as you know it," I assure her. "Then it'll warm right up."

"But aren't you leaving in the spring?"

Oh yeah… Nearly forgot. "That's right."

"I wish it snowed here. Then we could make a snowman."

"I doubt it'll ever snow here, but maybe one day when I'm back in Traverse Town, you could visit. It snows there, so we could make one together!"

"Really?"

"Yeah! We'll make the world's biggest snowman!"

"Promise?" Usagi holds up her pinky.

I wrap mine around hers. "Yeah! It's a promise!

* * *

****November 5, 2015******  
******Time of Day: Night  
Weather: Rainy  
Place: Dojima Residence****

"You really couldn't make out who appeared in the Reflection last night, huh?" Roxas asks me through the phone.

I sigh. "I really couldn't. Just make sure to check the Reflection tonight, okay?"

"Got it, sir!" he snickers.

"Stop calling me that, dammit. Just because I'm a military brat, doesn't mean I act like one."

"Ttyl, biatch!" Roxas hangs up. Freakin prick.

I walk into the living room, and Usagi has something in her hand. "Watcha doin'?"

"Actually Big Bro…" Usagi sneezes.

"Are you okay?" I put my hand on her forehead. "Your fever is gone, but it looks like you still have a cold. It's still cold out though, so maybe you should go to bed early."

"Awww… But I wanna watch TV..." she pouts. "I feel fine!"

"C'mon, you need to hurry up and get better."

"Oh yeah, I just remembered we have a heater!" Usagi points to the coat closet by the stairs. I open it, and a small, beat up space heater is inside.

"Talk about convenient." I take it out and plug it into the wall.

"Daddy said we could use it if we got cold! Huh?" Usagi fiddles with the buttons. "Is it broken?"

I walk up to it, and mess with the buttons. Nothing I do turns it on."Okay, time for my secret technique: Banging its sides until it turns on." Usagi giggles as I smack the heater repeatedly. "Looks this thing really is broken. We might as well buy a new one from Moogle Co."

"Really?"

"Yeah, I could probably even get Roxas to cut us a deal."

"Yay! Oh?" Usagi looks past me. "Daddy's home!"

"Hey Zack!" I wave.

"This was in the mailbox. It's addressed to you." Zack hands me a plain envelope.

Only my name is on the front. Just like the one from a couple days ago… I look toward Zack, and he's giving me a suspicious look. I open the letter, and I eyes bolt open at what's written:

**If you don't stop, this time someone close to you will be put in and killed**

Shit…

"The hell is…" Zack grabs the letter from my hand. "I'd like to hear what this is all about." I look toward Usagi, who has a scared look on her face. "I see. So you don't want to discuss this here, huh? We're heading out."

"Daddy… Big Bro?" Usagi whimpers.

Zack pats Usagi's head. "It's okay. We're just going out to talk."

"We'll be back soon," I assure her.

* * *

****Place: Destiny Islands Police Department****

Zack puts out his cigarette in an ashtray on a table between the two of us. The dank smell of tobacco makes the air around us stale, and cigarette smoke fumes from the tray. Our eyes are locked, neither one of us daring to avert out glares.

Zack puffs out some smoke. "Sora, I think of you as a member of the family," Zack tells me. "That's exactly why I should've done this sooner."

"Zack…"

"You're going to tell me everything. From what you're involved in and how you got involved. Everything." Zack stares daggers at me.

"I also think of you as family," I tell him. "So… I'll tell you the truth. About everything."

"Good."

"We've… Been involved in the serial murder case. We rescue the people who get kidnapped… By…"

"By what?"

I look Zack dead in the eyes, "Going inside of a mirror."

Zack raises his left eyebrow. "Excuse me? Going inside a mirror?"

"There are these things called Heartless, which we fight using Personas and-"

Zack sighs. "It hasn't been long enough for you to trust me like Vanitas, but I hoped you'd open up to me, even if only a little..." Zack gets out of his seat. "It's a shame."

"Zack, please believe me!"

"Send this to the lab." Zack hands the envelope to Terra in an evidence bag.

"Zack, please! Just hear me out!" I beg.

"Stay here for the night." Zack closes the door behind him.

Terra laughs awkwardly. "C'mon! Zack's just worried for you! That was probably just tough love."

Not now, Terra… I'm too depressed to even think of a sarcastic comeback… And that's saying something.

Terra slowly walks out the door whilst facing me. "Well… I'll just be outside this room."

After waiting god knows how long, a yellow glow appears in the corner of the room. Is it midnight already? But why would there be a mirror in here? I go to the corner where the light is emitting. Under a table is a compact mirror. On the back it says… Larxene Konishi?

I look into the cracked mirror and…

No.

No.

NO.

NO!

I run toward the door and pound my fist against it. "ZACK! TERRA! LET ME OUT, USAGI IS IN TROUBLE! PLEASE!" I keep banging, but no one answers. "Terra, please open the door!" Still no reply. "Fuck!" I put my back to the door, and slowly slide down. "Usagi… Usagi's in danger…"

"H-Hey! You can't open that door!" Terras yells.

"Fuck off!" Is that… Riku!

"We have to talk to Sora!" Roxas?

"Move it bozo!" Donald also?! The door opens, and the first thing I see is Roxas' serious face.

"How are you guys here?" I ask.

"Hey!" Zack shoves Riku and Donald away. "What the hell is going on here?"

Roxas catches his breath. "Usagi… Usagi is missing!" he says

"What do you mean?" Zack asks.

Roxas puts his phone on speaker. "Xion will explain. You hear me?"

"Crystal clear, Roxas!" Xion's voice echoes.

"Shirogane, you there?" Zack asks in a booming voice. "What the hell is going on?"

"I was just at your house. The front door was open, and there was no one inside. I'm afraid Usagi has been kidnapped by the serial killer," Xion explains. "Dojima, sir, surely you must have known! The case isn't over yet!"

Zack walks to a wall, and takes out his phone.

"How the hell did Usagi appear?" I ask Roxas. "She wasn't on TV!"

"Xion said that she wasn't seen, but she was heard," he explains. "She said in the interview with that one politician or whatever, she always mentions a particular student she spoke to."

"That girl became well-known, even while no one knew who she was," Riku says. "That girl happened to be Usagi! A person who was interested in who the girl was, published her photo and name in the newspaper!"

"Dammit!" Zack and I say in unison.

"How haven't I thought of the newspaper before?" I yell at myself. "I'm such a freaking idiot!"

"Why?! Why Usagi?!" Zack storms toward the door. "Get out my fucking way, I'm looking for my daughter!"

"But do you even have any ideas or leads on who took her?!" Terra asks in a panic.

"I'm going too!" I walk toward the exit, but Terra blocks me. "Get out of the way Terra!"

"Sora, be reasonable! You know I can't just let you go!"

"You can be reasonable with my fist!" Riku argues as he and the guys help me push Terra out the doorway. Terra pushes us back and swiftly closes the door.

"Terra, let us out NOW!" I scream.

"Sora! Guys!" Xion's voice echoes from the hall. "Terra, release him and the others!"

"Dear god, you guys just keep on multiplying! And n-no, you know I can't do-"

"Just let them out already!" Kairi's voice rings.

"Kairi is that you?" I ask. "Are Namine and Yuffie with you too?"

"We're here!" Yuffie says. "Now move out the way, Xi, I'm about to kick this guy into next week!"

"Stop!" Xion says. "We must attempt to sort this all out first."

"We don't have time for that!" I tell her.

"We can't just go running out guns blazing!" she argues. "Listen, there's no doubt in my mind that Usagi's captor is behind the murders and kidnappings. But we have to connect the dots first."

"What dots are there to connect?" I ask.

"The ones that'll lead us to the culprit's identity!" Xion says. "Because if we don't know that, we haven't a clue of who or what to search for!"

I take a deep breath, and attempt to calm myself down. "Fine."

"Now consider that the front door at your house was open. After examining it, there was no trace of forced entry. That'd only mean one thing."

"Are you saying Usagi opened the door herself?" I ask.

"Yes. He boldly came up to the front door, and rung the doorbell," she continues. "Just like how it was for all of us."

"But that means Usagi would have to know the killer! She doesn't open the door to strangers."

"Then let's change perspectives," Xion continues. "His quick work is what stood out to me when he caught me. He threw me in immediately after being kidnapped. I would go as far as saying that it took place right in front of our houses. That means he somehow had a mirror out front."

"He's taking a large enough mirror around with him?" I ask.

"Precisely. In other words, it's most likely he drives to the scene of the crime. Depending on how big the mirror is, you could use a fairly large car. But no suspicious cars have been spotted as of late. I'd expect someone to notice since most of the victims vanished during the day."

"So it's someone Usagi knows that has a car… But one you wouldn't even think twice of when you see it… A person that Usagi would willingly open the door for…" Wait… Could it be… "A delivery truck?"

"Wait a minute…" Riku says. "I remember now! A delivery came! It was a delivery truck!"

"No one looks twice at a delivery truck, no matter where it's parked," Namine's voice echos.

"If it were a local company, it'd be the same deliveryman every time," Xion says.

"Terra, do you know anyone that matches up?" I ask.

"Huh? Umm… Oh wait, I do!" he says. "Zack was going back to the investigation, and one of his suspects for Ms. Yamano's murder was a deliveryman! I think he was a city council secretary before becoming a deliveryman."

"A secretary?" Xion asks. "The only person who could be that is Eraqus Namatame!"

"The guy who had an affair with Ms. Yamano?" Roxas asks.

"Terra, let us out now!" I command.

"Fine, fine! Just tell the girls to stop death staring me!" A lock clicks, and I swing the door open. "If there's a break in the case, I better hurry to the scene. I'll just have to hope nothing happens here while I'm gone." Terra rushes down the hall.

* * *

****November 6, 2015  
Time of Day: Past Midnight  
Weather: Rainy  
Place: Destiny Islands****

After we left the station, I had Riku drive us all to Moogle Co. in order to chase after Usagi, but because of what we saw on the road, we had to stop.

"Zack, hang in there!" Terra is on the ground next to a bleeding Zack. The front part of his car is crushed, and a delivery truck is in front of it.

"Zack!" I run toward him.

"U-Usagi… Where's my Usagi?" Every word he says causes him to cringe in pain.

"Hello? We need an ambulance, quickly!" Xion says into her phone.

"Usagi… Eraqus… Please… Find them…" Zack holds my hand.

"You got it!"

Behind us, Xion climbs into the truck. "Hey, we have to preserve the crime scene!" Terra says.

"I'm wearing gloves!" Xion says as she opens the truck door. After a few minutes, she comes back with a small brown book.

"Hey guys!" Yuffie says. "There really was a mirror back here!" I run to the back of the truck, and there it is: the shattered remains of a large mirror. One shard is large enough for a person to slip inside.

I attempt to jump into the truck, but Donald holds me back. "You can't! What if you end up somewhere dangerous!"

"I have to try!" I struggle to get Donald off me, but he won't quit.

"Stop it!" Kairi says. "If we fail, who's going to save Usagi?"

I stop struggling, but only because Xion wants to explain the contents of the book.

"It reads, and I quote: '_I discovered the existence of a new world. Thus, I must save people._'" Save? Xion flips through more pages, and then her eyes bulge open. "I found a list of the victims' home addresses! Mayumi Yamano, Larxene Konishi, we're all here! Even us, the victims who survived and were never revealed to the public are written here! Your teacher Vexen is actually absent from the list!"

"That proves it then, doesn't it?" Terra asks.

"The last date is today's," Xion continues. "_I can't believe such a small child appeared in the reflection. I must save this child, no matter what."_

I slam my fist into the side of the truck. "Goddamn monster! I'm gonna kill him!"

"Sora, calm down," Kairi says. "Think straight!"

I take deep breaths, and Roxas hurries to my side. "It's Zack."

I run to over to him while he's being carried away by paramedics. His skin has become pale, and there is a large blood stain on his shirt. There are wrapping around some of his body parts, most likely to superficially stop the bleeding. "Please Sora… Usagi is my only reason to live… Save her…" Zack closes his eyes as he's put into an ambulance.

"Trust me… We'll save Usagi!"

* * *

****Nothing says determination to like staying up until 4AM to write another chapter! By the way, has anyone realized the ungodly amount of exclamation points I used? Hell, I even went back and changed some of them to periods, but there were still a lot.****

**Anyway, the culprit has finally been revealed! It may seem that I've pulled Eraqus out of nowhere, but I've mentioned him and his delivery truck before.**

**Also, talk about a Deus ex Machina with Larxene's compact being in the interrogation room. It'll be explained as to why it's there though, don't worry.**

**Anyway, I'm done with this chapter, so thank for reading! Merry (Late) Christmas and Happy New Year! **


	21. It's just like Heaven

**Chapter 21: It's just like Heaven**

**Time of Day: ?  
Weather: Foggy  
Place: The Velvet Room**

"Welcome to the Velvet Room," Igor greets. On the round table in front of him, he spreads out six cards in an octagonal spread.

"How will you proceed now that things have taken a turn for the worse?" Margaret asks. I roll my eyes. Thanks, Captain Obvious.

"Do you believe in fortune telling?" Igor asks.

I smirk. "I've never had any particular doubts or strong belief in it, but knowing how things go in here, I might as well believe."

Margaret flips over a card in the bottom right corner. It's one I'm unfamiliar with. "The Tower. It is an omen of doom and disaster. This is the fate that may await you."

Like its namesake, the card has a tower on it. The top of the tower is struck by lightning, destroying the top. What seems to be two people are falling from the tower.

"There is a way to avert a downfall," Igor tells me. "Find the truths of your world, and look past what's in front of you."

As darkness shrouds my eyes, the Velvet Room fades into fog.

* * *

**November 6, 2015  
Time of Day: ?  
Weather: Foggy  
Place: Mirror World- Heaven**

"_Mommy, where are you?"_

"_Why'd you have to go?"_

"_How come you left me behind?"_

While we search and fight our way through the dungeon, Usagi's voice would echo constantly, slowly driving me insane. The guilt kept on building up, making me move and attack without thought. Everyone is telling me to calm down, rest, and let them handle any fighting, but how can I calm down when someone in my own family could potentially die here?!

This place isn't like any of the other dungeons we fought in. Most of those places had odd vibes to them, riddled with the repressed thoughts and emotions of each of the victims. They were dark and dreary, but this one… It's odd in its own different way.

Everywhere we went, a bright blue sky above us in addition to fog and pure white clouds. Any structures were made of marble, and gardens filled with to the brim with exotic flowers were everywhere. Statues of angels were everywhere, and doors opened to the sound of harps.

It's kind of… Like Heaven.

"Look, over there!" Roxas points to a long flight of stairs. On them, was a man pulling someone with him.

"Usagi!" I scream as I run towards her captor.

Once Usagi and Eraqus reach the top, he stops and faces us. "You followed me here?!" His face is full of worry and is drenched in sweat.

"Give me back my cousin, you bastard!" I yell.

"Are you Eraqus Namatame?" Xion asks.

"And you are?" His face shifts into a crooked smile. "Wait a minute… You're the people I saved!"

"Excuse me? What are you, crazy?" Riku asks. "What the hell do you mean by save?"

"I'm going to save this girl…" Eraqus pats Usagi's head.

"Fuck you!" I run towards him, but he grabs Usagi and runs off with her. We chase after him until he reaches the end of the large, circular platform we're on.

"Eraqus Namatame, you put the people you saw on the Midnight Reflection into the world, I presume?" Xion asks.

"That's right."

"What exactly made you do that?"

"On rainy nights… In the mirror… They signal me to save them…" Eraqus says. "If I hadn't put you inside the mirror, how would have you ended up?"

"Are you trying to say that we wouldn't have been able to face ourselves?" Kairi asks.

"We nearly died when you put us in here!" Namine says.

"Yes… Exactly…" Eraqus rambles.

"This guy is nuts!" Yuffie says.

"I just wanted to save you!" Eraqus defends, if you can even call it that.

"Screw you! 'Save,' my ass!" Roxas yells. "You're just killing people!"

"_You're_ the murderers!" he accuses. "I know that you plan on killing this child!"

"How the hell do you think I could _ever_ kill my own family?!" I yell.

"What are you talking about?" Xion asks.

"I'll save her!" Eraqus raises Usagi by her underarms. Dark energy pulses from Eraqus.

"No, stop it!" I yell.

Usagi looks towards me with tears dripping from the sides of her eyes, a mixture of confusion and fear locked into her gaze. She coughs, barely able to form a sentence.

"I am a _Savior!_" The darkness overtakes Eraqus and Usagi, forming a large orb of darkness. When the orb fades away, Usagi is unconscious in a large orb of energy and Eraqus is gone.

What replaces him is a set of armor. It's adorned with colors of gold, silver, and black. Sharp points are on different points of its body, most notably its helmet, where three protrude. Above his head is a halo made of golden chains.

In its hands is… Another Keyblade! It has a smooth, cylindrical, grey shaft that tapers outward at both ends. It has a boxy guard, made up of two small, light grey boxes and copper rod. The Keyblade's teeth are in the shape of a capital 'E'

Everything that makes up the Heartless signifies Light, but an aura of powerful darkness radiates from the armor.

"_I will save her!" _Eraqus says.

"PERSONA!"

I charge forward at Eraqus, Izanagi gliding behind me. Eraqus raises his Keyblade, and a bright light flashes before my eyes. When the light fades away, I attempt to run towards him, but my body can't move! On my wrists and ankles are chains made of light.

"Sora, what's wrong?" Roxas asks.

My body begins moving on its own, disobeying what I want it to do. My body makes me face toward my friends. As my hand raises itself, Izanagi readies his Keyblade. "Guys, run!" I warn them.

Izanagi raises his Keyblade, and a large burst of flames erupts from the tip of it, exploding on the ground in front of them. When the smoke disappears, Namine's Persona, Konohana Sakuya, appears. It summoned a wall of blue flames and protected the group. Everyone else's Personas are summoned as well.

"What has gotten into you, Sora?" Yuffie asks. Her Persona, Tomoe Gozen, launches her four-point shuriken. Izanagi summons a large dome of energy, reflecting her attack.

"The enemy is controlling him!" Kairi says.

My hand raises, and Izanagi turns back into a card. The card shatters, and Ursula appears. She's clothed in purple with tentacles for legs, and a golden trident in her hands. She has a crown adorned with jewels mixed with various shades of purple, and has white hair.

Ursula raises her trident, and a whirlwind materializes, sucking my friends into a vortex. Roxas is able to break free of the hurricane, him and his Persona rushing toward us.

"Sora, hold on!" he yells.

"No, Roxas! Don't do it!" I warn him.

Ursula turns into a card, and a red genie appears in black smoke. He raises his hands, and red lightning strikes Roxas and his Persona. As he screams in pain, I try to stop the genie, but my body still won't listen to me.

After the genie incapacitates Roxas, he turns back into a card. He's replaced by… Crap… "Guys, watch out!" Sephiroth appears in a powerful inferno. He raises his katana, and meteors fall toward us.

"_That's right, keep fighting! I won't let anyone get in my way!"_ Eraqus says. "_I won't let anyone stop me!"_

"Stop it!" I scream. "I don't want to do this!"

"_Big Bro, don't fight them."_

Out of nowhere, my left hand grabs my right forearm. Usagi? The meteors above somehow stop falling.

"Sorry 'bout this, Sora!" Roxas yells.

"Ditto!" Yuffie nods, as hers and Roxas' Personas rush at me.

Yuffie's Persona brandishes a pair of daggers, and Roxas' Persona, Twilight Thorn, launches a large blue and purple orb of energy. Once it connects with Sephiroth, Tomoe Gozen rushes in with the daggers, slashing at him with quick but precise strikes. As Sephiroth staggers back and slowly falls to the ground, the meteors above us disappear.

Sephiroth isn't going down with a fight, though. My arms continue to move again, and Sephiroth strikes back with his large katana. He raises his weapon, and large pillars of fire send my friends back. Namine's Persona then comes flying in through the inferno, its wings adorned with blue flames and unscathed by my rogue Persona's fire.

"Attack, Merlin!" Donald points his wand at Sephiroth, and his Persona flies toward him. As his Persona flaps its wings, fireworks appear in front of it. When the fuses are lit, they blast off stars trailing behind them. The fireworks make contact with Sephiroth, and they explode into multicolored bursts of light and flames. The attack is able to make Sephiroth shatter into mirror fragments.

"Now's our chance to attack Eraqus!" Xion points at the Usagi's captor, and her Persona, Poppet, soars toward him at a breakneck speed. Poppet brandishes its sword, and it dives and attacks Eraqus multiple times. He staggers, but he's able to create a dome barrier made of golden chains, effectively blocking Xion's attacks

"Now's my turn!" Riku's Persona, Dark Follower rushes in and shatters the barrier protecting Eraqus. It then grabs Eraqus, and then repeatedly pummels him. Dark Follower then throws Eraqus onto the ground, and plunges its sword at him again and again.

As they attack him, I take the chance to force my hands to break the chains on my wrists. As I force my arms to move, they flare with pain, but I fight through it. Once I grab a hold of the chains on each of my wrists, I can feel the flesh on my hands burning, but I'm able to break them off. I summon Izanagi, and he launches his Keyblade at the orb holding Usagi, shattering it.

I have Izanagi carry me, and he flies into the air. As Usagi falls, and Izanagi rushes me to her, time seems to slow down. For the first time, I'm extremely scared that I'm going to fail…Sure, I felt fear when I fought everyone else's Heartless, but I finished the job. Since this is my own family we're talking about, there are so many other emotions flowing through my heart. Not to mention, I promised Zack that I would save his daughter, _my _cousin.

I can't break that promise!

"USAGI!" Despite the air practically punching my face, I'm able to catch Usagi just in time. As Izanagi descends, he holds the two of us in his hands. I bring Usagi into a deep hug, and a tear of relief and joy escapes my eye.

"Big Bro…" she mumbles.

"It's okay, I have you now… You're safe…" Ignoring the pain in my burnt hands, I pull her into an even deeper hug, if that's even possible.

"_Give her back!"_ Eraqus yells. He raises his Keyblade, and chains of light appear from the tip. They wrap themselves around all of my friends' wrists and ankles.

"Oh shit…" Roxas says.

"My body! I can't move it!" Riku says.

Everyone's Persona gets into their respective battle stances. I raise my right arm to summon another Persona, but the adrenaline rush I had has already left me. I feel the full pain of my burnt hand.

"_I am going to save that girl!" _Eraqus yells. "_I WILL SAVE HER!"_

Eraqus raises his hand, and everyone's Personas gains a dark aura. I can sense that their power has been raised exponentially.

Just when my arms are about to give out from the pain, a strong hand grabs right arm. I look to my left, and Zack appears in a comforting blue light, almost as if he's a ghost.

"_Sora, please save Usagi._" Zack helps me move my right hand to the left, summoning six Arcana cards in an octagonal formation. Underneath me, a large blue magic circle appears. As everyone charges at me for an attack, the four cards shatter, and a large dragon appears.

It has darks scales all over its body, and spikes of what seem to be made of bone adorned on its head and tail. Its claws are even sharper than Sephiroth's sword, reflecting any light that touches it. It has large black, translucent wings, its veins visible on its skin.

"Jabberwocky!" Zack and I shout in unison. He helps me raise my hand, and the large dragon flaps its wings and breathes fire, sending my friends' Personas back. The fire breath congregates in the air, and forms a large ball of fire. The ball then explodes, launching small fireballs at the chains binding them. They're able to destroy the chains and free my friends.

"Daddy…" Usagi mumbles as Zack fades away, a warm smile on his face. Jabberwocky fades away, turning back into a card. Everyone starts attack Eraqus, overpowering him with the same energy that he bestowed upon them.

I extend my hand out, newfound adrenaline pumping in my veins. "White Queen!" In a blue light, a woman dressed in an elegant white appears. Her hair is pale and her skin is ghostly to the point that it's like snow! She's surrounded by white chess pieces, and holds a sword that's as reflective as a mirror.

The Queen raises her sword elegantly, and the chess pieces flies toward Eraqus, distracting it. The White Queen disappears, and is replaced by Izanagi. I lay Usagi on the ground, and we run toward Eraqus. Izanagi slashes him with the Keyblade, destroying the armor and sending Eraqus flying.

I let out a yell as my fist connects with his face. I repeatedly pummel Eraqus, my vision slowly becoming red. Around me, I hear faint noises, but I don't stop until I pulled away from him. My vision returns back to normal, and Eraqus is on the ground unconscious and bleeding. He has a bloody nose and his mouth is the same.

Behind me, someone is crying. I look up, and Kairi's tears fall on my face. "Sora… Please stop… You're not yourself…" she says in between sobs. I look at Izanagi, and his eyes shine a bright yellow. His black coat has dark particles rising from it. Compared to the regal way he carries himself, he's twitching and his hands are shaking. His hands… Are bloodied. I look at mine, and they're the same as his.

* * *

**Time of Day: Morning  
Weather: Foggy  
Place: Destiny Islands Municipal Hospital**

When we returned, Usagi was put in an Intensive Care Unit, and Eraqus was taken by the cops. We currently wait outside her room. They even cared for and bandaged my hands, but… They won't stop shaking.

Everyone is quiet. "To think that she still didn't fully recover from her cold… Then going through something as stressful as this…" I put my hands in my face. "Usagi is only six, how did she even survive?"

"Since Usagi was so young, her other self didn't appear like it did for everyone else," Donald says. "To believe she got caught in all of this craziness…"

"He just had to have that stupid armor! Was that even his Persona or his Heartless?!" Roxas asks.

Riku punches the wall. "There's no way she could've handled that, dammit."

"Why'd I have to waste time listening to what Eraqus had to say?!" Xion scolds herself. "If I hadn't tried to engage him in conversation, and we'd rescued Usagi immediately…"

"Xion, it isn't you fault," Namine comforts her. "You just-"

"I prioritized solving the case over Usagi's safety! Because of that, Usagi is…" She throws her hat on the ground in frustration.

Riku sighs. "Enough of this pity party. Is feeling pathetic and consoling each other gonna solve anything? We just have to hope that she'll get better."

"Yeah, we have to get it together!" Yuffie says. The way she says it though… I think she's trying to tell herself that, too.

Xion picks up her hat, and wipes a tear away from her eye. "Sorry… You're right."

"Listen Xion, even I could tell you were desperate to save her," I tell her. "Thank you. I'm glad you were there."

Xion looks down, her face becoming red. "Thank you…"

Roxas gets up from his chair. "C'mon, guys! Acting all gloomy won't solve anything! Think how Usagi would feel if she saw us all like this."

I put on a brave smile. "Yeah, he's right!" I say that, but… I don't think I mean it.

* * *

**Place: Destiny Islands- Public Park**

"Hey, thanks for meeting me here, Kairi," I tell her.

"What's wrong, Sora? You look horrible!" Kairi sits down next to me. "You're so pale… And why did you undo your bandages?"

"Oh yeah…" I look at my burnt palms. "Just… Thinking."

"I'm pretty sure you can think without having to hurt yourself even more."

I give her a dry smile. "Looks like even when something like this happens, I can count on you to to be sarcastic with me."

"Now really, what's wrong?" Kairi asks.

"It's just… I'm scared. I'm scared that I could have lost my cousin. I'm scared that I could've hurt you guys. I'm scared we couldn't stop the culprit. My hands have been shaking nonstop…"

"Sora, that's natural. Anyone would be scared in that situation," she comforts.

"But… But…" I put my face into my hands. They sting like a bitch, but it's nothing compared to the hurt in my heart.

I feel a hand stroke my head. "C'mon… You know that if anyone else were to see you like this, they'd become depressed too," Kairi says. "You have to pick yourself up, Sora."

I understand that, but… "But after something like that, how could I? You guys could've been killed!"

"So? Since when have you guys not been on the brink of death fighting Heartless?"

I open my mouth, but once again, Kairi has stumped me. "Why does this always happen when I'm with you?"

Kairi flashes me a small grin. "Going past that, you only feel guilty, because you were forced to attack us. We all know it wasn't your choice, you were being controlled. Heck, even if you try to apologize to everyone because of what happened, they'd say the same thing as me."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm absolutely positive!"

I can't help but shake my head with a chuckle. "You know, I'm really glad that you're my friend."

"Hm? Where did that come from?"

"Don't worry about it." I smile as I stand up from the bench.

"Hey, you can't just say something like that and be like, 'Don't worry about it!' What do you mean by that?"

"Don't worry about it!"

"Answer my question dammit!" As Kairi trails behind me, I break into a run and she continues to follow as I laugh at her expense.

* * *

**November 21, 2015  
Time of Day: Afternoon  
Weather: Foggy  
Place: Destiny High**

"The fog seems especially thick today," Xion says.

"Yeah, it's been getting worse and worse," I agree.

"How are your hands by the way? You're not wearing your bandages today either."

"Well they stopped hurting every time I moved a finger or grabbed something, so they're probably okay at this point. Plus, the doctor said that these burns would heal in two to three weeks, and it's practically been three." My burns may have healed, but they left scars. This'll be a tough one to explain to Mom and Dad.

"So, Eraqus woke up today. He confessed to everything. The case is… Over." Xion shakes her head. "I'm in slight disbelief about it, even though I was told personally."

"Yeah… To think I've been going at this case since I moved here." I smile. "Well, to add to the good news, we can visit Usagi now."

"Is that so? Have you told everyone else, yet?"

"Yup, you're the last. I had trouble finding you since we don't share any other classes."

"Makes sense. Anyway, while the hospital is our topic, do you remember what you told me there?" Xion asks.

"What'd I say?"

"You said that you were glad I was there. Thanks for that."

"No problem, but why does it seem that you're so hung up on it?"

"I think… That I just wanted to be needed. It's probably why I was trying so hard to solve the case. If you take away my ability as a detective, I have practically nothing." Xion smiles. "It made me happy to know that you guys gave me a place where I belong."

I return her smile. "You'll always have a place with us. Don't ever forget that. Anyway, c'mon. We were planning to visit Usagi once Roxas finished his after school stuff. You wanna come with?"

Xion nods her head. "Yeah, sure."

* * *

**Time of Day: Afternoon  
Weather: Foggy  
Place: Destiny Islands Municipal Hospital**

"Hi there…" Usagi says weakly.

"Hiya!" I grin. "It's good to see that you're better."

"What about me?" Zack laughs. His arms and head are wrapped in bandages and he's in a wheelchair. "Anyway, Usagi isn't able to talk that much as of now."

"Zack, why are you out of your room?" a nurse says as she walks through the door.

"Oh, well, you see…" Zack sheepishly rubs the back of his head.

"I understand that you're worried about your daughter, but you still need your rest too!"

"S-Sorry…"

"I'll wheel him back to his room immediately." Terra chuckles as he pushes Zack's wheelchair away.

"Hey! What're you doing?" Zack asks.

Usagi shows a weak smile. "Hey, Big Bro?"

"I'm right here," I tell her.

"Yeah, I'm so glad."

"Hey, guys," Terra says in the doorway. "Can you come out here for a minute, I need to talk to you about Eraqus."

"Yeah, sure. See you in a bit, Usagi." My friends and I leave Usagi's room and follow Terra into the waiting room.

"About Eraqus… The guys are saying he's still mentally unstable, but we're slowly piecing together his story."

"Anything new?" Xion asks.

"Well, this is a secret, but I guess I can tell you guys." Terra leans in. "There were entries about Ms. Yamano and Larxene Konishi in the diary we found."

Roxas raises his eyebrows. "What'd they say?"

"It seems that Eraqus had been making advances on Ms. Konishi. We think that could be connected as to why he killed her."

"That son of a bitch!" Roxas' tightens his fists and a dark expression appears on his face.

"W-Well, I probably shouldn't say much more, so I'll just head off now." Terra heads out the door.

"Hey, you okay Roxas?" Yuffie asks.

Roxas loosens up, and relaxes his face. "Yeah… Yeah, I'm just fine."

"You shouldn't bottle it in like that," Namine tells him.

"I'm not bottling it in, I'm just being tame about it… I guess." Roxas shrugs.

"Anyway, Eraqus has been caught," Riku says. "He can't hurt anyone now."

* * *

**Place: Destiny Islands Streets**

"What is with all the people gossiping about this fog lately?" Riku asks.

"I dunno…" Kairi answers. "I've heard a bunch of things about it."

"What, like it being poisonous?" I ask. "Or that it's some weird bio-weapon?"

"Trust me, that's not even scratching the surface," Yuffie says. "Apparently some guy is-"

"RUN!" a man yells. "EVACUATE IMMEDIATELY! THE FOG IS POISONOUS!" He has a gas mask on, and even an oxygen tank on his back.

"... Is running around with a gas mask screaming like hell."

"The idea that the fog is poisonous is just plain stupid," Roxas says.

"But it is true that people are getting increasingly worried," Xion says. " And not just here, cites and towns nearby are talking about the fog too.

"I wouldn't be surprised if it reached national headlines," I say. "With how some environmentalists are, they'd find a way to chalk the situation up to global warming and climate change."

"It's amazing the fog has lasted this long," Namine says. "It's almost like the fog on the-"

"Other side?" Riku says. His glasses for the other world are on. "You guys might want to put on your glasses…" Riku has an extremely serious tone.

I put on my glasses, and… It's all clear!

"What the hell's going on?"Roxas asks. "Why can we use these here?"

"These glasses are meant to help us see through the fog in the Mirror World," Xion says. "Putting that aside, no glasses would improve visibility in a fog under normal circumstances."

"Could the fog from the other world be leaking into ours or something?" Yuffie asks.

I think about it. "You could be right… But would that even be possible?"

* * *

**December 3, 2015  
Time of Day: Evening  
Weather: Foggy  
Place: Dojima Residence**

Geez… Not having Zack and Usagi in the house for so long is depressing. I think I kinda miss Drunk Zack. He always made the night interesting. It's a good thing I have everyone else to keep me from dying of boredom.

"All this fog does remind me of the other side," Donald says. "But beyond that, I'm clueless!"

"I see… Hey Xion, the case against Eraqus hasn't been going well, right?" I ask.

Xion nods her head. "Yeah. According to Terra, little to no progress has been made with Eraqus' interrogations. It seems that he's still confined to his hospital bed, so further investigation has yet to commence."

"The fog isn't leaving, and the interrogation isn't going anywhere," Kairi says. "We solved the case, but I still feel super bummed."

"Hey… Can I still stay here?" Donald asks. "I mean, you guys did find the culprit, so things should be peaceful on my side, so I really should be leaving."

"Donald, we've been over this," Yuffie says. "You can stay here as long as you want!"

Roxas taps Donald's head. "C'mon, get it through that thick skull of yours! Of course you can stay! Who else is gonna help me move boxes at Moogle Co?"

Donald chuckles. "You guys really mean it?"

"Yeah, of course we do," Riku says.

"It wouldn't be the same if you left us." Namine smiles.

"You can stay here forever, Donald," I tell him. Someone's phone rings. I check my pocket, and Terra is calling. "Yeah? What's up, Terra?"

His breathing is panicky. "Okay, so keep calm, and listen to me."

"Yeah, what is it?"

"There's been a sudden change in Usagi's condition. Hurry over to the hospital!"

* * *

**December 3, 2015  
Time of Day: Night  
Weather: Foggy  
Place: Destiny Islands Municipal Hospital**

Tick… Tock… Tick… Tock…

Tap, tap, tap, tap, tap.

The hallway is silent except for the sound of the clock's hands moving, and my foot constantly tapping the floor. Everyone else is in a separate waiting room, while I'm by the door to Usagi's ICU.

My heart is racing. It has the same feeling as when… We were fighting Eraqus. But now isn't like that time. Usagi's going to be safe, right?

"Are you a family member," a nurse asks.

I stand up. "Yeah, I am."

"Follow me." The nurse turns around, and leads me through the door.

I pass through a curtain, and Usagi lies on a bed. The heart rate monitor beeps slowly, but it hasn't stopped. Her skin tone is a sickly white, and her eyes are unfocused. She's wearing an oxygen mask, and there's a needle in her arm that leads to an IV bag.

"Usagi? Can you hear me?" the nurse asks her. "Your big brother is here."

"Big bro?" Usagi mumbles. "Where are you?"

I grab her small hand. It's… cold. "Here! I'm right here."

Usagi moves her eyes, but it's like she's looking past me. "Big bro?"

I feel my eyes tearing up. "Daddy will be here soon, okay? He's coming!"

"Daddy…"

"So please, hang in there Usagi! I even looked for a new heater to replace the broken one at our house. We have to go buy one together, remember? Remember our promise? You were supposed to visit me in Traverse Town and make snowmen when it snows! We promised that'd we'd play together a ton!"

"Big Bro…"

Tears run down my cheeks. "We'll be together forever… I'll stay with you forever!"

"I'm scared… Big Bro… Daddy…"

Usagi slowly closes her eyes. The monitor has a continuous beep sound. One after the next, as if a truck was backing up on the street, alerting anyone near by. Then just out of nowhere the monitor changes its tone. This time, the sound was constant.

No breaks in between the beeps.

Just a long flat piercing sound, penetrating my ears.

* * *

**Yes, I just wrote about a six year old girl dying right in front of her cousin. I'm such a monster, aren't I? You could say I'm **_**Heartless**_**. **

**Also, I made a playlist for the fanfic. Feel free to check out the link in my profile.**

**Anyway, this will just be a short A/N. I hope you enjoyed the chapter, and see you in the next one.**


	22. Reach Out to the Truth

**Chapter 22: Reach Out to the Truth**

**December 3, 2015  
Time of Day: Night  
Weather: Foggy  
Place: Destiny Islands Municipal Hospital**

"I'm scared… Big Bro… Daddy…"

Usagi slowly closes her eyes. The monitor beeps every so often. One after the next, as if a truck was backing up on the street, alerting anyone nearby. Then just out of nowhere, it's only a long flat piercing sound, penetrating my ears.

Zack bursts in through the door. With a short of breath, he hobbles his way to my side with the help of a crutch. As tears roll down my cheeks, the doctors silently unhooks Usagi from the life support machine. Zack stares at his deceased daughter, a mortified look on pale face. He backs away and covers his mouth while tears run down his cheeks.

"My little girl…" Zack mumbles. "He did this…"

I wipe the tears from my eyes. "Zack?" As he slowly walks away, the mortified look on his face starts to change. I follow him through the door, and my friends are waiting for the two of us. The room has a depressed and pessimistic atmosphere; everyone is doing their share of crying.

"How could have this have happened?" Kairi cries into her knees. Next to her, Xion is attempting to hide her tears using her hat, albeit unsuccessfully.

"She can't be…" Yuffie cries into Namine's arms. Roxas and Donald remain silent as they avert their gaze from me.

"Dammit!" Riku punches the wall.

"Guys…" I mumble. Everyone looks towards me, a temporary pause in their grieving. "Zack is headed toward Eraqus' room."

"What do you mean?" Roxas chokes.

"Dunno… It just seemed like he was after he saw Usagi."

* * *

"Let go of me!" Zack yells as guards attempt to restrain him. "I need to talk to Eraqus!"

"Z-Zack! Please calm down!" an officer says.

"Why?! Why did Usagi have to die?!" Zack cries out. "Give me back my daughter!" Zack pushes through the guards, only to topple onto the floor.

"Zack, you're hurting yourself!" Terra rushes to his side and tries to pick him up, but Zack uses his hands the drag himself to the door.

"Why is that bastard still alive when Usagi is dead?!" Zack takes a couple more steps forward, and falls over again. "She's… She's all I have…"

"Quick, someone get him into his room!" Terra orders the guards. They pick him up, and slowly take him away.

"I'd rather just kill this guy myself after what he's done!" Zack says as he's taken away by the guards

"Hey… Do you really think he would've gone through with it?" Namine asks.

"His only daughter is dead," Riku deadpans. "Doing something like that wouldn't have surprised anyone."

"First he killed Larxene, now Usagi? How could anyone do such a thing?" Roxas asks.

"Why is he the one who gets to go on living?!" Xion asks. A loud crash resonates from the other side of the door.

I bust open the door, and Eraqus is on the floor. The window is open, letting the cool night air blow the curtains away. Moonlight illuminates the room with a cold blue glow.

"You tried to use the _window_?" Yuffie asks, anger rising in her voice.

"You have your life, and now you want your freedom too?!" I ask him.

"It's your fault Usagi is dead!" Kairi says.

"I-I just…" As Eraqus mumbles, a yellow light appears to the right of us. On the wall is a mirror, and in its reflection is _Eraqus_.

The Midnight Reflection? But why?

"_I failed to save her,"_ Mirror Eraqus says. "_It's because you got in my way."_

"Why is even this showing up?" Roxas asks. "We already beat his Heartless!"

"_The law can't touch me, anyway."_

"Is that what you're really thinking? Huh?!" Riku asks.

"N-No!" Eraqus backs up. "I just…"

"To hell with the law! No one will _ever_ forgive you for what you did!" I berate.

"If the law can't touch you, then we'll just have to punish you ourselves," Roxas threatens.

"Wait, Roxas! What are you saying?" Yuffie asks.

"_Do whatever you want. You hate me, don't you?_" Eraqus in the mirror has a condescending smile on his face. "_I could care less either way. Living or dying makes no difference to me. But you can't. You won't." _As the reflection laughs, I clench my fists. "_After that, I'll just continue to save people. After all, it's my mission!"_ The yellow glow of the mirror fades away, and the moonlight becomes the only source of illumination in the room.

"Whatever we want, huh?" Xion asks. "You know, this must be a luxurious suite. Most hospital wards wouldn't have things like a TV, sofa… Or a mirror."

"Xion, what do you mean?" Kairi asks.

"Why, with something like this in the room, Eraqus could escape at any time. Although once he enters, he may find that there's no way out." Xion glares at Eraqus with cold eyes.

"N-No!" Eraqus backs up into the wall, knocking over a glass next to his bed.

"You can't be serious!" Namine says.

"We can't just do that!" Yuffie says.

"So you're just gonna turn your back, and walk away?" Roxas asks angrily.

"That's not it either! What's gotten into you guys!"

"N-No! That's not how it is!" Eraqus cries out. "It's a misunderstanding!"

I pick up Eraqus by his shirt, and drag him towards the mirror. He tries to squirm out of his hospital gown, but I grab one of his arms. "How the hell can you call my cousin's death a misunderstanding?!"

"Sora think about this!" Kairi calls out.

"What exactly is there to think about, dammit!" I snap, causing her to take a step back.

"P-Please! Please, n-no!"

"How very unbecoming," Xion hisses.

"Wait!" Yuffie cries out. She and the girls try to move in, but Xion, Riku, and Roxas block their way.

"If any of you want no part in this, just leave the room," Roxas says.

"S-Stop it! I just wanted to save her! That way she wouldn't get killed!" Eraqus' cries and movements become more and more desperate as I get closer to the mirror. "I didn't mean for her to die!"

"Shut up!" I try to push Eraqus in, but he uses his arms to stop me. As I shove his body closer to falling in, I look up at my reflection. My eyes…

They're yellow. Same as everyone else's in the room. The collective yellow glow in their irises are all telling me the same thing:

_Do it. Get revenge. Kill him._

I throw Eraqus onto the ground. I look back at my reflection, and my eyes return to blue. I let out a yell of frustration, and I punch the wall. Eraqus shrieks and crawls away from me.

"You're seriously just gonna let him go, Sora?" Riku asks. "How can you do something like that after all he's done?!"

"This is our only chance," Xion says. "At this rate, the culprit won't be incarcerated. Then he'll go serving his twisted version of justice."

"We have to put an end to this ourselves!" Roxas says.

"That'd make us no different than him!" I retort. "We have… We have to find the truth."

Roxas grabs me by the shoulders. "Isn't _this_ the truth?! It's the reality right in front of you!"

"No… Something's off here. It's like we're missing something."

"Oh come on!" Riku says. "What in the hell are we missing, exactly?"

"Calm down, dammit!" Everyone takes a step back. "It may sound counterproductive, but we need to calm down and think rationally about all of this. Xion, you out of all people should know that one thing seems off right now."

Xion sighs. "I may have just realized that we've heard almost nothing from Eraqus' perspective."

"How can we possibly understand someone who says killing people is the same as saving them?" Roxas asks.

"Roxas, we all know why you're acting like this right now," Yuffie says. "But we've accomplished so much together. If we do the wrong thing now, it'll all go to waste."

Roxas lets out a sigh. "Fine. You win. We'll think about this as much as we need to."

"If we leave any unanswered questions behind, we'd just be lying to ourselves," I tell everyone.

* * *

"To tell the truth, there's something that has been bothering me lately," Xion says. "Ironically, it's one of the most important parts of a case."

"And that is?" I ask.

"What exactly is his motive? What was his driving reason for doing all of this?"

"Didn't he want to 'save' them, or something?" Yuffie asks.

"That jackass is sick in the head," Riku says.

"After the first murder, the police called in Eraqus for questioning," Xion says. "No matter what they looked at, they found nothing suspicious."

"Maybe he was able to lie his way out," Roxas says. "Or maybe he started out with a normal motive, and then got a taste for killing after the first time."

"If that were the case, his motive for killing Yamano would be even more inexplicable," Xion continues.

"Maybe his wife was getting suspicious, and she got in the way," Kairi adds.

"But Eraqus and his wife were separated at the time of the first murder. Even his wife knew about Yamano beforehand," Xion says.

"Plus, they said in the news that Eraqus was shocked to hear about Ms. Yamano's death," I add. "So at this point, we still have no convincing motive for Eraqus to kill Mayumi Yamano."

"Her name was written in his journal, though," Xion says.

"Dammit! Why does everything have to be so confusing?" Roxas asks. "Donald, don't just stand there and say noth- Where's Donald?"

"Wasn't he just with us a while ago?" Namine asks.

"Did he go back to my house early?" Roxas asks. "I probably shouldn't call the house at this time, so I'll make sure to tell you guys in the morning, I guess."

Where could Donald be right now? Come to think of it, I don't think he was there when we confronted Eraqus. Knowing him, he probably would have sided with the girls on not throwing Eraqus into the other world. Unless he wouldn't want him back in the Mirror World.

When I open the door to leave, a cold air blows into our faces. Compared to the regular weather on the Islands, it's practically freezing out. It's chilling in more ways than one, and the eerie fog doesn't help. Who knows, it could probably snow at any moment.

Snow…

"Hey, let's call it a day," I tell everyone. "I'll be okay, so… Thanks. Roxas, let us know if you find Donald, okay?"

"Got it. Well, see you tomorrow." Roxas and the rest walk away, each in their own direction. I'm now alone, left to my own devices.

"_If it ever snows, I want to make a snowman with you!"_ Usagi's voice rings in my head.

My eyes tear up again. "Usagi…" I cover my face with my hand, trying to hold back the tears. Out of nowhere, arms wrap around my body. I move my hand from my face, and Kairi's red hair is the first thing I see.

My body melts in the warmth of her embrace. I wrap my arms around hers, fully giving into her gentle squeeze. As I close my eyes, the busy streets and its turbulence fade into a faint resonance, hardly relevant.

I rest my head on her shoulder, and tears stream out of my eyes.

* * *

****December 4, 2015  
Time of Day: Afternoon  
Weather: Foggy  
Place: Destiny Islands Municipal Hospital****

"I got to thinking last night," Namine says. "If he saves people by killing them, hasn't he technically failed?"

"There's one other thing," Xion says. "The Eraqus that appeared on the Midnight Reflection said that he failed to save Usagi."

"Do you think he really was trying to save the victims by putting them in the mirror?" Yuffie asks.

"Then what about Ms. Yamano and Larxene?" Roxas asks. "He still threw them in. Or was someone else involved with that?"

Someone else… "The warning letter. I think I know what's been bothering me," I tell everyone. "Those letters I received. The first one said not to save people, and the second saying that someone would get hurt. Isn't that kind of odd?"

"How so?" Riku asks.

"Would someone who thinks he's saving people write stuff like 'don't rescue' or 'kill' in their warning letters?" Xion asks. "Could someone else have written the note?"

"Other than the incident with Pence, we were all convinced there was only one culprit," I add. "If anything, someone dying in Eraqus' case would be the equivalent of him failing to 'save' that person."

* * *

"Warning letters? What are you talking about?" Eraqus asks. His voice is shaky, probably traumatized from what happened last night. I came alone, as having everyone in the room might cause him to panic.

"So it really wasn't you…" I say. "Listen, I've come here to find out your side of the story. Please tell us everything you can."

"You're willing to listen to my story?"

"We're the only ones who can fully understand what you have to say."

Eraqus looks down. "Back in April… After the scandal, I hadn't been able to reach Mayumi at all. One night when I was drowning myself in alcohol, one of my mirrors started to glow. I had saw her running away from… Something. I couldn't tell what it was. All I knew is that in the reflection, she reached for me. When I went to reach for her, my hand went through the mirror!"

"Then soon after, she was found dead, wasn't she?" I ask.

He nods his head. "At first I thought the Midnight Reflection was an urban legend, but curiosity got the best of me. I kept on watching, and then I saw that Larxene Konishi girl. I tried to warn her to be careful, but she didn't take me seriously. She appeared in the Reflection soon after, and was found dead the next day. I couldn't save her…"

So that's where his weird mantra of "saving" people came from.

"It was mortifying seeing her dead… That's when I made up my mind that I could hide the next person somewhere not even the killer could find her. I thought that whatever was inside the mirror, it'd be better than being slaughtered by a serial killer! Once things calmed down, I'd just pull the person out."

"And when you decided to do that, Namine was the first person you threw into the other world."

"Yes… I thought my job as a deliveryman would be the perfect cover for my mission. I called the police, but no one would believe me. I thought I was the only one who could help them. When I went after that little girl, and entered the mirror myself… For the first time, I had doubts about myself." Eraqus shakes his head. "I never knew that you couldn't even leave that place on your own!"

I sigh. "You really thought you were saving people, didn't you?"

"I secretly believed myself to be a hero…"

"I guess from your point of view, you really believed you were preventing their deaths when they came back alive."

"I'm… such a joke. Will you ever forgive me?"

"How could I after all the hell you put us through?" I ask. "You kidnapped people, and put them somewhere you didn't even know was dangerous. If it weren't for us, people would've actually died. But…"

"But what?" Eraqus has a worried look on his face.

"I'll forgive, but I sure as hell won't forget. Neither will any of my friends."

He breaks eye contact with me. "Thank you for listening to this crazy madman."

"Trust me, I still think _I'm_ the crazy one for not throwing you in." I turn around and walk out the door, closing it behind me.

Is it even right to forgive this guy? It's like I said, people would have died because of him. Maybe if he didn't see the Midnight Reflection, then maybe everyone would have had more normal lives… But if he didn't, then I wouldn't have met or gotten close to my friends.

Should I be thankful for that? Would that make me a shallow person?

* * *

****Time of Day: ?  
Weather: Foggy  
Place: The Velvet Room****

How'd I end up here? Wasn't I just in the hospital?

"Do not be alarmed," Igor says. "The moment you leave this place, you'll be back to where you were. The same time, the same place."

"Okayyy…" Magic is confusing.

"Now then, your journey has taken you quite a distance thus far," Igor continues. "Why don't we take a moment to look back on your journey?" Arcana cards appear in mid-air, floating over Igor's table. The cards gather together and form a circle. Each card rotates slowly in a warm blue light.

"Each one of these cards represents one of your bonds," Margaret says. "It seems you have gathered many friends who are willing to tread the same path as you through this dense fog. The bond you share with your friends have blessed you with the Judgement Arcana."

A single card appears over Margaret's book. It slowly descends, and when it lands on the book, it shatters into ethereal blue shards. She opens her compendium, and a picture of my friends and I confronting Eraqus are on one page, the card itself on the other.

"I envy you, for you have forged so many bonds in such a short time." Margaret smiles. Another card appears next to her. "You've obtained the Empress Arcana as well. It seems we have a bond connecting us as well."

"Until we know which direction to go, the car will be parked for a while," Igor says. "It can be worth your while to take the time to stop and reflect.

* * *

****Time of Day: Afternoon  
Weather: Foggy  
Place: Destiny Islands Municipal Hospital****

As Igor says, I'm back in the hallway I was before entering the Velvet Room.

"Sora!" Roxas comes running down the hall. He has a large grin on his face, and he's slightly out of breath.

"Yeah, what is it?" I ask. "And why do you look so tired?"

"Usagi is alive!"

"She's WHAT?!" I feel a grin form on my face. I rush past Roxas, and run through the hospital corridors. The building walls blurred past me as I felt a surge of adrenaline. The steady thump of my footsteps echoed in my ears and I felt a bead of sweat roll down my forehead. The only thing stopping me from reaching Usagi's room is… Nothing!

I burst through the door, and Zack watches over his daughter with a weak smile. Connected to Usagi's arm are tubes leading to an IV bag. Other wires on her body connect to a heart rate machine.

There's a pulse… It's slow, but thank god it's not flatline!

I walk over to Zack, and he faces me. Tears well up in his eyes, and he lets out tears of joy and relief.

* * *

****December 5, 2015  
Time of Day: Afternoon  
Weather: Foggy  
Place: Dojima Residence****

"This fog really won't quit," Kairi says. You'd think Usagi reviving would've called for some decent weather at least."

"I honestly could care less about the fog right now," I tell her. "What's important is that Usagi came back to life! I still don't even know how that's possible."

"There is this medical phenomenon called the Lazarus Effect," Xion says. "One case of this occurred when a highschool girl overdosed on contraband. Thirty four hours after being proclaimed dead, she was found snoring in the the morgue."

"Something like that seriously happened?" Roxas asks.

"Yes. Modern science has no clear grasp on how this occurs, though. I guess Usagi was just lucky." Xion sighs. "But back to our original topic. Has anyone found any evidence the police has missed?"

"Sorry, I couldn't find anything," Riku says.

"It's been six months since the police stopped looking for any evidence," Yuffie says. "Wouldn't it only make sense that looking for overlooked facts be difficult?"

"That's true," Namine adds. "Even the old women of the town who gossip all the time don't seem to know anything. It's almost as if they could care less about they could care less about the murders that happened all that time ago."

"I'm going out to get some fresh air." Xion gets up from her chair, and walks out the front door.

"Damn, looks like Xion is stumped too," Riku says.

"I think I need some air to think as well." I get up from my seat and head towards the door. "I'll be back inside in a bit." I walk out the door, and Xion leans on the outside wall. Her head is down, and her hand is on her chin. "Y'know, you really do pull off the whole 'Sherlock Holmes' look without flaw."

Xion grins. "If I had a wood pipe and an assistant, I'd look even more the part. It's just become a habit I can't seem to break."

"Who knows, maybe this cold air will get my deductive muscles flexing," I grin. "It probably means I'd have to be Watson though, since we've all called you Sherlock."

Xion looks up at me. "Then you better get to work, Doctor. Someone who meets all the criteria to be the culprit has to be somewhere in town."

"Easier said than done..." Literally anyone in this town could be at fault here. There still must be something that we overlooked. It's urgent that we get over the roadblock that's facing us. The clues we need must already be in our hands. Maybe I should go over everything we know one more time, just to make sure.

Number one, the culprit must have some sort of connection with both Larxene Konishi and Mayumi Yamano.

Number two, the culprit has knowledge of the Mirror World, and what we do there.

Number three, not only do they have knowledge of that, but the culprit also knows what Eraqus was doing and stood back to watch.

And number four, it has to be someone who could approach my house without raising any eyebrows.

Now that I think about it, there were almost no witnesses. Both warning letters seem to have been delivered directly to my house, but no one saw anyone suspicious. No one unusual was seen around Larxene or Ms. Yamano, either… Ironically, the police apparently sent out an unusually high number of cops to perform the investigation.

There has to be someone in Destiny Islands who fits all of the facts… God, this is going to be hard.

If I look at our circumstances however, the thought of one person in particular seems to be resonating in the back of my head. I can't tell if it's me being desperate for an answer, or a gut feeling telling me that he's the one. Maybe I should just let it go. I'm probably just nervous, that's all.

Or am I?

"Hey Xion, let's go back inside… I think I may have someone in mind."

* * *

****Yes I ended the chapter on a cliffhanger, and yes I feel horrible about doing so. But if I didn't then there'd be no tension in my story. The culprit behind the murders will be revealed next chapter!****

**And because I haven't done it in a while, thank you to the people who have followed and/or favorited the story recently. I really appreciate it.**

**See you next chapter!**


	23. The Culprit

**Chapter 23: The Culprit**

**Time of Day: ?  
Weather: Foggy  
Place: The Velvet Room**

Normally when I enter the Velvet Room, I'm greeted by Igor or Margaret. They've even left small notes for me every time they weren't in the room. But he was the last person… Er, _duck_, I'd imagine being in here.

"Donald, where the heck have you been all this time?" I ask. "You disappeared ever since the the night we confronted Eraqus."

Donald won't face me. "I've been thinking all this time about who I really am. I brought you guys into this mess… Suddenly before I knew it, I was just wandering around the fog. I don't know how or when I got here."

"Donald…" I want to comfort him, but… I'm really at a loss of words right now.

"I… I remembered what I was."

"Really? Isn't that great then?"

"No, it's not!" he yells. "I… I was just a Heartless in that world." Donald is… _Was_ a Heartless? "One day, a Heartless living in that world awakened to human emotions. He made himself believe that he was a Heartless. He wanted to meet people, he wanted to talk with people… So that's how he came to look like this. But…"

"But what?" I ask.

"But Heartless aren't allowed to stay in the human world." Donald sniffs. "When you meet with everyone again, please apologize… Tell them I'm sorry for being a problem… And I'm sorry that Usagi had to die…"

"But Donald, here's the thing… Usagi came back to life!"

"What?" Donald turns around, wiping his teary eyes with his feathered hands. "That's wonderful!"

"Oh yes, it certainly is," a voice from behind Donald says. I look behind him, and Igor sits on his chair. "Now Sora, if you could excuse me, I would like to converse with our… Surprise guest for a moment. You do have somewhere important to be… Or should I say _someone_ important to confront."

"Sora, who's the scary fellow with the nose?" Donald asks.

I chuckle a little. "That's Igor, the head honcho of the Velvet Room."

"Ahem, but I prefer the term _proprietor_," Igor corrects.

"Anyway, he can be trusted. Just try to meet up with me and everyone else ASAP, okay?"

As darkness shrouds my eyes, the Velvet Room fades into fog.

* * *

**December 5, 2015  
Time of Day: Afternoon  
Weather: Foggy  
Place: Dojima Residence**

"_He's_ the culprit?" Yuffie asks in disbelief. "You've got to be kidding, Sora."

"I'm not saying he is, I'm just saying all the evidence we have points to him," I explain.

"That's practically the same thing," Roxas deadpans.

"Regardless of how unlikely it is, something about him has been bothering me for a while now," Xion says.

"What would that be?" Kairi asks.

"We're not sure," I tell her. "But if the possibility isn't zero, then we can't rule him out."

"I get that but… C'mon! Him out of all people?" Riku asks.

"Well, he did say he came to escort Ms. Yamano when the press flooded her," Namine says.

"Is this true, Namine?" Xion asks.

"Who knows, it could mean that he interviewed Larxene since she found Yamano's body too," Roxas says. "It fits the criteria, but it feels too much like a coincidence."

"Listen guys, just hear me out on this." I stand up. "Starting with Namine, the people who went missing had been thrown into mirrors by Eraqus who was disguised as a mailman. But Pence was the only one who went missing and tried to give a testimony to the police. He turned himself in, and during questioning he blacked out."

"Woah, where'd you hear that?" Roxas asks. "They never talked about that in the news."

"That's because I asked Zack back at the hospital. Anyway, no one took Pence's story seriously. So that's when he was interrogated by…"

* * *

****Time of Day: Afternoon  
Weather: Foggy  
Place: Destiny Islands Municipal Hospital****

"Hey! What are you guys up to?" Terra asks. "And what's with the scary faces? Geez, it's like you're some angry mob, or whatever. Anyway, I thought Usagi's room was in a separate wing, not here."

Our one and only suspect, Terra Adachi.

"Hey, Terra I- Oh. What are you guys doing here?" Zack asks. He's sitting on a wheelchair, but his overall complexion seems more… alive compared to when Usagi dies.

"Zack, what you doing out of bed, _again_?" Terra asks. "I hope you realize that the nurse is the one who's nagging me for you escaping your room all the time."

"That's not important," Zack says. "Where's Eraqus?"

"Transportation picked him up a while ago. I was actually on my way right now to tell you that."

Zack grabs Terra by his tie and pulls him down. "And how the hell did you let that happen? Who authorized the move? I haven't even gotten that chance to question him yet!"

"L-Look, cut me some slack!" Terra stutters. "I didn't know, okay?"

"Something still doesn't sit right with those first two murders," Zack says. "Eraqus' alibi was rock solid, and he didn't have a decent enough motive."

"Zack, put away the magnifying glass for a second! You need to rest, the guys at the station will handle it." Terra turns to us. "Anyway, you guys should probably head off. At this point, you're interfering with police business."

"Why are you here anyway?" Zack asks. "And why does everyone look so… angry?"

"We wanted to speak with Terra," I tell him.

"What would you need to talk to him about?"

"We want Terra to give us a full account of what happened before Ms. Yamano vanished," Xion says.

"Huh? Well, okay." Terra shrugs. "She was being hounded by the paparazzi at the inn, so I went to serve as a bodyguard, but my memory of back then is kinda fuzzy."

"Did you ever speak with Larxene Konishi?" Roxas asks.

"Yeah, of course I talked to her, she was the one who found the body after all. We spoke probably… I dunno, once or twice."

"What'd the lab have to say about the threat letter I received?" I ask. C'mon, we just need to get him to slip up and say one thing that doesn't match up with everything we know. Or maybe mention certain things he shouldn't know about.

"The threat letter? Oh y-yeah… Crap, I think I forgot about that."

"You what?!" Zack asks. "I told you my-goddamn-self to make sure that letter got sent to the lab! How the hell couldn't you not do such a brainless job like that?!"

Terra nervously chuckles. "Well right after you gave it to me, things at the station went nuts, and then you got into your car accident. Anyway, sheesh! Why am I the one still being interrogated, I have a bunch of work to do!" Terra starts walking off. "I'm headed back to the offices and filling out my report.

"One last question, Mr. Adachi," Xion says. "I… _We_ know for a fact that Eraqus did not kill the first two victims, but someone else. And the murderer is still out there… Terra, do you know where we could find him?"

"Huh? Okay, now you lost me. What are you talking about?"

"Isn't it obvious?" I close in on Terra. "We're saying that we think you did it!"

"What?! Don't be ridiculous!" Terra defends. "I didn't do it! Eraqus was the one who threw them in!"

I grin. "Excuse me, but exactly what did you just say?"

"What do you mean he threw them in?" Zack asks. "Do you know something about his motive that you haven't shared with me?"

"Terra, you made a comment once that I wasn't able to fully understand or make sense of." Xion walks up to our culprit. "At the scene of Zack's accident, I read out loud the names from Eraqus' journal. Do you remember me doing that? I mentioned that everyone who was kidnapped was written down, with the exception of Vexen Morooka. You said, and I quote, '_That proves it then, doesn't it?'_ How exactly did that prove it was him? Don't you find it a little odd?"

"No one knew about that," I say. "At this point, we hadn't told the police about the kidnapping that weren't murders. But when Xion read the names, you seemed to know this already. How exactly can you explain this?"

"L-Like I said, I don't know!" Terra runs off behind us, entering a hospital suite. When we go through the door, no one is to be found.

"Dammit! Where the hell is he?" Zack tries to get out of his wheelchair, but he topples over.

"I've got you!" I prop him up and put him back into his chair. "Look, we'll take it from here, okay?"

Everyone has their focus set on a mirror hanging on the wall.

* * *

****Time of Day: ?  
Weather: Foggy  
Place: Mirror World****

"Damn… Looks like this world is even more messed up than usual," Roxas says. "All this fog is insane. Even with the glasses, I can barely see ten feet ahead of me."

Kairi groans in frustration as her Persona fades away. "It's no good! This creepy fog is so thick, it's messing with my Persona's tracking ability. If Donald were here, he could've used his magic to help me look for Terra."

"I wonder where he is right now…" Last time I spoke with him, Donald was in the Velvet Room. Igor even had to speak with him privately. I wonder what it was for…

"Over there!" Yuffie points to our left, and a silhouette of a large duck seems to be walking toward us.

"Hey guys, I'm back…" Donald looks at his feet as he walks. "Sorry I've been gone." His eyes won't meet any of ours, and he has a tight grip on his wand.

"What the hell, man? Where were you?" Roxas asks. "I was worried sick, y'know!"

Yuffie slaps him on the back and flashes a grin. "Geez you nut! You know I hate not knowing where my friends are!"

"Where were you anyway?" Riku asks.

"I was just figuring out a bunch of stuff. Like about this world, and what I am." Donald lifts his head. "I'd like to tell you everything about what I've found out." Donald goes onto to talking about how he was originally a Heartless, and how they're not supposed to be in the human world.

"What about the stuff Igor told you?" I ask. "Didn't he want to talk to you personally?"

"Yeah, he said to tell you guys as well," he says. "Igor said that I have a Persona because I developed… Whatsit called? An ego, I think."

"Then that means you're different, right?" Riku asks.

"Yeah, since you have a personality, it means you're practically human!" I say. "You're no different than us. Well, minus the feathers."

"Now c'mon, get out of your slump and help us out here!" Roxas grins.

Donald takes out his wand, and the blue orb on it starts blinking. "Follow me!"

* * *

Donald brings us to an extremely familiar place. The tall apartments and the empty clearing fill me with a weird sort of nostalgia. It's the place Roxas, Yuffie, and I ran away to when we first entered the Mirror World. We were even led into the room we ran into, the one where we found the noose and the torn up posters of Mayumi Yamano, the first victim.

Because it's such a place of importance to the case, I'm not surprised we found Terra here.

"Do have any idea of how annoying you are?" he asks. He's not facing us, but instead the wall opposite to us. It's covered in torn up posters of Mayumi Yamano, a noose hanging from the ceiling in front of it.

"Terra, is it true that you killed Larxene and Yamano?" I ask.

"Does it even matter if I was? This world and ours are about to combine. Will it matter who killed who then?"

"What do you mean?" Xion asks.

"This world will become our world. Humans will become nothing but Heartless…"

"Don't change subject!" Roxas says. "Did you throw 'em in here, or not?"

"Do you really want to know?" Terra asks. "Well, I guess there's no harm in it considering the world's gonna end. This all started because of an accident. I asked her to meet with me in order to ask her something. But when we met, the bitch went berserk on me."

"So what happened?" I ask.

"Wait… That's not him," Kairi says. "It's some sort of copy."

Terra claps slowly and laughs. "Bravo, bravo! I'm impressed little girl! You saw through my little trick." A dark portal opens in front of him, and he walks through it.

Yuffie moves past me. "Like hell you're getting away!" We follow her through the portal and… Woah.

On the other side of the portal is a destroyed version of the Islands. Large purple cracks break through the ground, buildings are in ruin, and the ocean surrounding the islands… Well, there is none. It's just an endless expanse of darkness. The area we're in right now seems to be reminiscent of the business district with all of the signs scattered on the ground and buried in rubble.

"Guys, there's something very… different about this place," Kairi says. "I have a feeling that unlike our Heartless, he's in full control of his.

"It's great, isn't it?" To our left, sitting on a pile of a destroyed building, is Terra sneering at us. "This place has really taken a real shine to me. It's like I'm the king of the world! I can go anywhere I want, do anything I please, and for whatever reason those monsters just leave me alone." Suddenly behind him, a gigantic portal appears behind him. As Terra laughs, an equally as large Heartless emerges from it.

It has six arms, white armor, and two gargantuan curved swords. Its brown hands are clawed, and it has a cobra for a head. It's bigger than any of the Heartless we've seen before!

"Guys, run for it!" Donald warns. Everyone scatters and runs behind cover as the Heartless swings its sword at us.

"C'mon now kiddies, catch me if you can!" Terra taunts. "The only _real_ challenge will be making it to me alive."

"I think the time for talking has come and gone." Riku extends his arm, and his Arcana appears in front of him.

"I could say the same thing." Xion's Arcana appears in front of her as well. "**PERSONA!"**

"Go, Poppet!" Xion yells. Her Persona raises its sword, and swings it at the Heartless. It's able to block the attack, but was still knocked back a far distance from us. The Heartless then comes rushing towards us, only to get attacked by Riku's Persona.

Her Persona raises its sword, and rushes the Heartless with a flurry of slashes and stabs. It causes the enemy to stagger onto its knee. It knocks Xion's Persona away and attempts to get up, but Riku's Persona knocks it back into the ground.

"Go chase after Terra," Riku says. "I'll make sure Dark Follower doesn't let this monster past us."

I nod and everyone follows me down a battered road, leaving behind Xion and Riku to fend for themselves. When we get far enough away from Xion and Riku, we're only able to hear their fight, not see them.

"Wait… This place… Is it my family's inn?" Namine chokes. I look around, and a Japanese styled building, or at least what's left of it, is in front of us. To our right is a sign that reads, _Amagi Inn_.

"This hick town is so damn boring that I had to whittle away my hours watching TV, or streaming the web," a copy of Terra says. "Everyday, I'd come home, kick off my shoes, and rot on my couch." He looks towards a wall in front of him, where a cracked TV hangs. "I watched Yamano everyday, and developed a little crush on her. But not anymore…" Terra points back toward the area behind him, and… It's completely untouched?

Mayumi Yamano is backing away from… Terra? "_Who exactly are you?" _she asks, her voice distorted. "_And what do you mean by something important?"_

"_The whole story about the affair, is it really true?"_ Terra asks. His voice is distorted too. He must be showing us the past or something. "_Is it all a lie?"_

"_That is absolutely none of your business!"_

"_So it isn't a lie? And here I thought I had a thing for you?"_ Terra scowls. "_Who knew I was just infatuated with another stupid bitch."_

"_Don't make me call for help!"_

Terra grabs his head as he screams. "_Like hell you will!" _Yamano backs up. "_I think what you need right now is a little pain to calm you down." _Terra grabs her by the throat, and shoves her into a mirror. Her scream is deafened as she falls into it. "_S-She fell in?_" Terra starts to laugh. "_Wow! I put the whore all the way in!"_

"This happened in one of the rooms of my inn…" Namine's hands are clenched into fists.

"I'd heard rumors about the Midnight Reflection before," Terra says. "But it was sheer coincidence that I happened to shove Yamano into the mirror, throw her into this cesspit, and discover my power." Terra chuckles.

"So you used Ms. Yamano to test your power?" I ask.

"Hey, I didn't plan for it to happen, but I sure as hell found it hysterical." Another dark portal appears behind the clone. A large blue Heartless emerges from it, changing at us from a distance. It runs on four feet, each one with giant purple hooves. It has two large tusks, and one horn on its head.

Namine summons her Arcana. "I'm going to watch you burn!" Yuffie and Kairi follow suit. "**PERSONA!"** All three of the girls' Personas appear in a blue light.

"Incinerate him, Sakuya!" Namine commands. Her Persona lifts its hand, and bursts of blue fire shoot of of the ground, harming the enemy Heartless. It tries to run through the fire and get to us, but Yuffie's Persona grabs the Heartless by the tusks.

"That's right! Like hell Tomoe and I are gonna let you get away!" Yuffie grins.

"Scorch 'em Maleficent!" Kairi's Persona raises its staff, and bursts of green flames emerge from it, attacking the Heartless. Yuffie's Persona then lets go of it, and then slashes and thrust at the Heartless with its katanas. "We can handle this, you guys go on ahead."

"You better listen to Yuffie, Sora!" Kairi says. She steps forward, and her Persona raises its arms. A large thicket of branches sprout out of the ground, separating me, Roxas, and Donald from the girls.

After running through this destroyed version of the Islands, it makes me feel… Sick. Does Terra really want all of this? Why would he wish for everyone to become Heartless?

"Why even bother fighting?" Terra laughs like a madman. "You're wasting your time fighting me! This craphole of a town is gonna be nothing but darkness and fog!"

"Where the hell are you?" I ask.

"Wait... Look up there, Sora." Roxas points up a hill. In the distance I see a beat up and charred Moogle Co sign. "The store too? But wait, if that's up there, that means Larxene's store is…" Roxas runs down a hill, and I follow along with Donald. Roxas stops in front of another destroyed building, one with broken glass covering the floor. He looks through a window, and like Namine's inn, the interior is completely fine.

Inside is Terra and Larxene, in what seems to be an interrogation room. "Larxene!" Roxas yells as he bangs on the glass, to no avail. Larxene has a look of disgust on her face.

"_That's enough!"_ Larxene asks. "_What's going on here? I thought you called me in for questioning!"_

"_We just need to know if you had a fling with Eraqus!"_ Terra says. "_So did you or did you not?"_

"_No! I barely even knew the guy!"_

A Terra flashes a sly grin. "_Hey, it's all cool. You can tell me."_ He back Larxene up into a wall. "_Do what I say, and you can keep your secret." _Larxene pushes Terra off and slaps him in the face. "_So that's how it's gonna be, huh? Well if that's what you're gonna play, I know exactly what I'm going to do with you!" _Terra punches Larxene in the head, making her drop the purse in her hands, its contents spilling out onto the floor. As her body falls onto the ground, Terra smiles with murderous intent.

"I threw her into the bathroom mirror after that little fiasco." We turn around, and Terra has a pissed off look on his face. "I was so lucky that the station was empty at that time of the night. If I was back in the city, I definitely wouldn't have gotten away with that."

"What do you mean?" Roxas says through his gritted teeth.

"Oh, I graduated first in my class at the police academy. But when I made one stupid mistake, I got dropped off here in the sticks. The only upside to this story is me getting these powers."

"You bastard… You're gonna pay!" Roxas runs at Terra, but the copy disappears.

"Hey c'mon, look at it from my perspective." Terra appears next to me. "I didn't have any idea of what the other side was at the time. I never did it thinking that I was killing them. And besides, those bitches were playing Eraqus like the stupid bastard he is. They got what they deserved. If anything, I've done a favor for everyone."

"What'd you do with Eraqus?" I ask.

"Well after Larxene's body showed up, he called the cops in the middle of the night. Of course, you already know what he told them and that no one believed him. So I did the simple thing and called him myself."

"And? What'd you tell him?"

"What else would I tell him? I told him to 'save' the people by throwing them into mirrors! It was too easy tricking the guy." Terra laughs. "Your good intentions of saving people made you go into a vicious cycle!"

A dark portal appears in the sky. Out of it, a large flying Heartless emerges. Its body is made of bones and violet plumage, with a golden collar around its neck. Its tail is made up of several skulls linked together, and its wings are made of golden cutlasses. Its head is a skull with yellow eyes and a crown, with a treasure chest full of gold connected to it.

"Time to face this ugly!" Donald says as his Arcana appears.

"I won't ever forgive you for what you did!" Roxas yells. "**PERSONA!"** Donald's and Roxas' Personas appear, in a blue light.

"Go get 'em, Merlin!"Donald points his wand at the Heartless, and his Persona flaps its wings. Spheres of ice magic fly toward the enemy, destroying some of the skulls that make up its tail.

"Obliterate 'em, Thorn!" Roxas' Persona creates a large orb of purple and blue energy. It then hurls it at the enemy, harming the main body. In retaliation, it opens the treasure chest under its head, and gold coins shoot at both of my friends' Personas.

"We can handle this," Donald tells me. "Get to Terra and beat him!"

"Make it painful, Sora!" Roxas gives me a thumbs up.

"Alright!" I hurry down an empty street, turning whenever debris blocks my path.

"Anything else you want to know?" Terra asks, his voice echoing across the desolate streets.

"What about Pence? You threw him into a mirror as well, right?"

"Oh, that fattie? He just appeared in the game too soon, that's all. At the time, the police didn't even have a clue as to who the perp could be, so luckily the idiots at the station gave him to me to deal with." Terra laughs. "I didn't think that someone would actually come turn themselves in because of the crime! Especially when they didn't do the deed themselves. If they convicted him, the case would be closed, Eraqus would stop saving people, and all my fun would be ruined."

"So you put him in here to shut him up?"

"Bingo! Right on the bullseye. Not a bad plan, right? I wanted my game to keep on going."

"So that's your reason? You think that this is all a game?"

"Of course! But then you guys had to go and ruin everything. Thanks to you guys, Pence was arrested, and people thought they were safe! What I find even more stupid is how everyone believed it. His copycat killing was poorly done. Thank god your cousin appeared in the Reflection, otherwise Eraqus would have stopped saving people." Terra laughs again. "Seriously, what the hell was wrong with that guy? I feel like that messiah-complex bastard gets off on saving people! What a freak!"

After running through what feels to be the the entire town, I encounter Terra sitting down at a table. Even with his copies being perfect replicas of him, I can tell that this guy is the real deal.

He starts clapping. "Nicely done, I'm surprised you made it this far. Seriously, I'm impressed that your stupidity has led you all the way here."

"Alright, enough," I tell him. "Why are you really doing this?"

"You mean my motive? I don't really have one. I did it because I could, and it was fun."

"You're a fucking sociopath."

"Hey, all I did was throw people in here. It's the world itself that kills them. This place reflects people's thoughts, so if that's true… Then it only means that the real killers are the people from our world." He pokes me. "Including you. Come to think of it, aren't you just a bunch of high school students? What are you doing here instead of worrying about grades and crap?"

"The things you caused have almost killed each one of my friends! That's why I'm here!"

"Well would these friends of yours be here if it weren't for me?" Terra asks condescendingly. "Friendship this, friendship that, it's all I'm hearing from you guys. Let me guess, it's what powers you? It's what keeps you going? Well then let me show you what _real _power is!" Terra grabs his head, and screams at the top of his lungs, pain echoing in his cry. A red circle of light appears around him. Is he seriously going to...

"**PERSONA!" **Out of the red light, a malevolent copy of Izanagi appears. His jacket is covered in dried blood, and thin purple veins stitched into its clothing. Instead of the Keyblade Izanagi has, Terra's version has longer reach, and more teeth. It's also has a flat blade, compared to my Keyblade's cylindrical shape. "Mangle him, Magatsu Izanagi!"

I extend my hand, and my Arcana appears in front of me. "**PERSONA!"** Izanagi appears in a blue light, battle ready to face off against the culprit.

Terra runs at me, his Persona readying its Keyblade. 'Now be a good little boy and die quickly!"

I run towards him, my Persona brandishing his own. "Let's do this one last time, Izanagi!"

* * *

**OMG, I actually updated this damn thing! What's it been, two months? Hopefully I'll be able to finish this story before summer break!**

**But seriously, I hate myself for taking this long to update the story. There was a lot of things going on IRL that stopped me from working on the story. I really didn't want to take a short hiatus like that since I'm so close to finishing the story, but life happens. And by life, I mean school. School sucks. *Cough* Fire Emblem Fates too *Cough, cough* Oh I'm sorry, my allergies are acting up.**

**Also, if you guys haven't seen it, I've posted a new oneshot! It's the definition of perfection, and I doubt any of you will ever want to read this story again after reading that masterpiece.**

**Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and hopefully some questions have been answered. See you in the next chapter! Now excuse me while I continue to rage my ass off while I play Fire Emblem Fates Conquest! (Wish me luck)**


	24. What is a Bond?

**Chapter 24:** **What is a Bond?**

**Time of Day: ?  
Weather: Foggy  
Place: Mirror World**

Two Keyblades clash against each other with bursts of light and darkness flashing between each parry. Terra's Persona attacks Izanagi with the rage of a primal animal, my Persona only being able to defend, much less get in any counter attacks.

"Trying your best just won't cut it," Terra says. "Why waste your time when you could give up already? Stop trying to face reality, it's boring. And besides, there's no way to change it." He has a sadistic grin on his face, and his eyes are golden like that of a Heartless.

"I'm telling you, it's best to just ignore it. Why choose reality when you could have a world of your own making? I don't know about _you_, but it clearly sounds like the best idea to me." Terra's Persona knocks Izanagi into a large pile of debris, possibly the remains of a destroyed building. "I mean c'mon, we all prefer the easy life! All reality gets you is boredom and bickering, who would want to live in a world like that? It's only because people think that have to accept our crappy lives that they choose to deal with it."

Izanagi gets up from the debris, readying its Keyblade in a defensive stance. Instead of attacking head on, Terra's Persona raises its Keyblade and some sort of magic seal appears above my head, the same happening to Izanagi. Suddenly, my entire upper body feels as if it's been bound by a rope, and I'm forced onto my knees. Terra walks up to me with a gun in hand.

Shit.

"There's only one thing in life that's going to let you have success in life, the golden ticket called talent. If you don't have it then you're left to rot in despair." As Terra jabs my face with the muzzle of the gun, I break out into a cold sweat. "So wouldn't we be better off without the sham that is reality?"

"T-This isn't a game!" I tell him. "These are people's lives we're talking about!"

Terra sighs and pulls the gun away from my head. His Persona grabs Izanagi by the throat, and starts tossing him around like some ragdoll. "Y'know, no matter what you do, reality sucks. And I for one, am completely sick of it. The fog will consume the human world, and all people will turn into Heartless. In the end, isn't that what all people desire? Not having to deal with their problems?"

"Turning people into monsters could never be the answer! If you want to stay in this world fine, but leave everyone else out of it!"

Terra sucks his teeth and shakes his head. "So naive, you bunch of kids. I get that you're scared and trying to cover it up, but you kids should really listen to what I'm telling you. I'm the one with all the real world experience, here."

"Listen, I don't care about- What the hell?!" Terra forces my head too look towards the sky, and a gigantic orb of darkness is suspended in the sky. Dark clouds swirl around it, and debris from the ground are being sucked into it. Just looking at it is enough to send shivers down my spine. "What… What is that?!"

"It's coming…" Terra's voice is filled with a sense of malice and cryptic tone. "Soon all the humans will be nothing but Heartless!" Terra laughs. "Oh, but don't worry! There's no reason to be afraid. Yeah, the entire world is going to be filled to the brim with Heartless, but people will keep on living, right? They'll just be oblivious to what's around them. How is that any different than our current reality? This way, things are going to be a whole lot easier. No more repressed emotions, no more pretending we don't see things."

"This world you're envisioning is complete bullshit!" I yell.

"Think back to when your friends, or whatever, met their Heartless." Terra jabs my forehead with his gun. "Didn't it seem like they were enjoying life far much than all of you? You see, Heartless move on pure instinct. They only go crazy when you resist them!"

Terra's finger moves to the trigger, and a loud bang resonates in my ear. Everything is white for a split second, but then everything returns to normal. I look down, and faint traces of smoke rise from a dent in the ground between my legs, and the sour smell of the gunpowder enter my nose

"Wow, you should see the look on your face!" Terra taunts, swinging around his gun randomly. "You know, the only reason I became a cop was so I could carry around a gun. How do you think I felt when I found out I was going to have to work with a bunch of idiots?! Regardless of that, why are you scamps still fighting? Do you think you find some sense of justice in doing it? Ooh, I know! You just wanted to spice up your boring lives, didn't you?" Terra raises my chin up with his gun. "If that's the case, you're no better than criminals who get off on killing other people."

Behind him, Terra's Persona throws Izanagi onto the ground and starts stabbing him with its own Keyblade repeatedly. Every strike get more feral the longer Izanagi is on the ground. I try to have him move out of the way, or attempt to block the attacks, but I can't seem to move him. It's like the magic Terra's Persona casted earlier stops me from controlling my Persona too… It sucks that the magic still lets me feel Izanagi's pain, though.

Seriously though, I'm starting to cough up blood because of Stabby McStabface over there.

I fall onto my side from the pain, and Terra walks away from me. "Did you ever stop to think about what you were going to do once you actually found the answer to your little mystery?" He asks. "Nobody cares about the truth. Eraqus was the serial killer, case closed; that's the truth the rest of the world sees. But let's pretend for a second that you _are_ able to catch me. What'd you think would happen? The answer is simple, really. For a quick moment, attention is going to be shifted, but nothing would change because people don't care who the real killer is. That's the truth you've been searching for…" Terra's Persona raises its blade above Izanagi's chest. "_Like it or not!"_ It pierces Izanagi's chest one more time, and the pain from the stab makes my whole body stiffen.

Terra turns away from me, and sighs. "Y-You're wrong!" I say as I spit out blood. I attempt to get off of the ground, but my arms still feel as if they're bound. "That's not the truth!"

"Aww, poor thing. An adult tells you the truth and some good advice, but all you do is ignore it." Terra pushes his gun into my head, bringing it back to the ground.

"I'm done playing games! You don't have what it takes to shoot me, and you know it!"

"Oh really now?"

"I've heard enough! What you're saying is all bullshit! No matter what you say, you won't get away with this!" The seal above my head shatters, and I move my hand toward the gun. I push it to the ground, and stare at Terra directly in his eyes. "And _THAT_ is the truth!" I push him away from me. As his face changes from a smug to a confused look, I get up off the ground. Behind me, Izanagi props himself up using his Keyblade. "What you're saying isn't logic! They're just the self-centered rants of a psychopath! Even if they don't know it, humans need each other to survive. If you sever all ties with society, of course everything will become difficult for you!" Izanagi readies his blade, and rushes in on Terra's Persona.

"You're kids! What the hell do you think you know about the world?" Terra asks.

"No! You're the child! You hate your miserable life, and all you do is loathe about it, blaming the world for your problems! You're not an adult taking control of his life, you're little kid throwing a tantrum!"

"SHUT UP!" Izanagi is able to land multiple attacks on Terra's Persona, but the amount of damage he's done barely fazes the relentless monster. It counterattacks by turning its Keyblade into a large whip, spinning it all around itself, but Izanagi guards against it with a dome of reflect magic.

"Let me put this bluntly;, there's nothing special about you at all! The only thing you are is the scum of the earth!"

"Me? Scum?" Terra laughs. "Looks like I'll have to give another lesson on the _real_ world, kid. All you do is talk about these bonds, or whatever. Effort, love, hope, and not to mention friendship. All of these things you're talking about, it's like it came out of some morality textbook!"

"What's wrong with that?" I ask. "It's better than being a heartless monster like you!" Izanagi points its Keyblade at Terra's Persona, and ice magic launches through the tip. It hits its arm freezing it and preventing it from moving. Izanagi takes this opportunity to rush in and attack, but the enemy Persona counterattacks with its free hand, slicing Izanagi with its sharp fingers.

"It's shallow, that's what! Okay then, tell me: What's a bond?"

"To believe in the person at your side! In your closest friends!"

"You don't get it, do you? That's why you guys are all just inexperienced kids." Terra walks toward me. "The word 'believe' is a curse that crushes people. There's no way you can read someone's mind, is there? What you believe in is your own selfish ideal of how _you_ want a certain person to be, nothing more."

"Shut up! Like hell that's true!"

"But lucky for you, I doubt your friends would turn on you. You've seen each other's ugly sides, how pathetic you can be, but you're like 'oh, that's okay,' pretending to care. That's so fucking creepy; As if you could actually like someone's ugly side! You idiotic brats!"

Izanagi's Keyblade glows and is imbued with light. The same happens with the Keyblade Terra's Persona has, but is instead cloaked in darkness. They both sprint toward each other, their two blade meeting between them. They both fight without inhibition, their Keyblades never landing on any of their bodies parts, but instead meeting each other in the middle as each Persona attacks and parries each other.

"You all are just trying hard not to hurt other because you don't want to get hurt yourself! Do you want to know what adults call that? Licking each other's wounds! That's what this 'bond' thing of yours is all about!"

"No, it's not! That will never be true!" I tighten my fist. "We've always accepted who we really are! Even if we got hurt, we've come all this way in search of the truth!"

"See? What you're saying is just more whitewashing! You guys… Really piss me off!"

Izanagi runs toward the enemy Persona, and thrusts his Keyblade into its chest. Unfortunately, Terra's Persona pushes itself off of the weapon, and raises its own Keyblade toward the sky. Red thunder crashes onto the ground, creating a large cloud of dust in the process. Izanagi raises his Keyblade, and creates a wind, dissipating the dust cloud.

"In order to get here, we had to face things we didn't want to see," I tell Terra. "Even after initially denying them, we took our hardships head on!"

"Oh please! You naive brats don't know anything! You have no idea what kinda shit I've been through!"

"You're not the only one that's suffered in life! If you think that way, of course everything is going to feel like shit!"

"What the hell is wrong with you?! I'll kill you… I'll kill you just like I did everyone else!"

"Like hell you will!" Izanagi runs toward Terra's Persona, who puts itself into a guard stance. Izanagi breaks his defense, sending the enemy's Keyblade spinning into the sky. He jumps up into the air, and Izanagi grabs the other Keyblade. He slices Terra's Persona in half using his own Keyblade, and decapitates him with the second weapon.

As the remnants of the Persona fades away into darkness, Terra yells out in pain, holding his head. He falls to his knees, and then eventually to the ground, whimpering in pain and anger. I suddenly become short of breath. Who knew talking to psychopaths could be so tiring? Then again, having to deal with all of those attacks from earlier probably added to my fatigue.

Terra's whimpering turns into a crazed laugh. "What the hell? This is no fun…" He rolls onto his back, showing an insane look look in his eyes. "Well, whatever. Our world is going to disappear soon, no matter what. I don't have anywhere to go back to anyway." Terra takes out his gun from his jacket. "Man, what a pain." He starts to bring it up to his head.

"Hey, stop it!" I try to run towards him, but before I get close, black and white tendrils knock the gun out of his hand.

"You are _not_ taking the easy way out after all this crap we had to deal with!" I turn around, and Roxas is with his Persona. Behind him, everyone else is with him. Roxas' Persona summon more tendrils, and they wrap around Terra.

"Screw you…" Terra spits.

I smile. "You guys made it! You all aren't too hurt, right?"

"I got tossed around a bit," Riku says. "My insides feel like they've been put through a blender." Xion pats him on the back, which in turn makes Riku wince.

"I'm just glad no one broke any bones." Yuffie cracks her knuckles. "And plus, that thing we fought was nothing. I've met toddlers rougher than a thing like that."

"Sure you did…" I smile.

"Hey, hate to break the fluffy and slightly cliche reunion, but could you look up?" Kairi points towards the sky. We look up, and the giant orb of darkness still remains.

Behind us, Terra starts laughing. "It's like I said! There was no point in fighting me. That thing's gonna combine this world and ours regardless of what you do! It's impossible!"

I grit my teeth and look and the sky. Just like earlier, just the sight of all that darkness scares me to no end. But impossible? Hell, a year ago I would've thought things like this was impossible. I'd never believe in another world, much less one full of monsters. We've been in impossible situations beforehand when we saved each other. Every time, we pulled out shit together and made it through. We became stronger with each fight, and we were able to get to this point.

If there's one thing I learned this year, it's that nothing is impossible. Just really, _really_ fucking hard.

"We have to get up there somehow," I tell everyone. They all give me blank stares, and Terra bursts into more laughter. Yuffie then kicks him in the head and knocks him out.

"Are you insane? It's gonna be impossible to stop that thing!" Roxas says.

I sigh. I already gave my whole inner monologue about the impossible, I'm not going to freaking repeat it out loud. "Just hear me out. Maybe if we get to the source, there could be something to stop it. I just can't think of a way to get there."

"I have an idea!" Donald says. His Persona appears, and circles around my Persona. Golden dust falls from its wings, and falls onto Izanagi. "This should help your Persona fly up to it. I only have enough (for?) you, so this is going to be a one man trip."

Roxas pats my shoulder. "Don't die."

"Gee thanks, I'm feeling so much love from that comment." I grin. "And yeah, I'm not planning on biting the dust anytime soon. And plus, how am I going to die if I know that I have people like you guys backing me up?" Izanagi puts me onto his shoulder and I hold onto a chink in his helmet. He jumps high into the air, and then we start to fly. As we go higher and higher, my friends become smaller and smaller.

Also as we go higher and higher, I've come to learn that I may have a slight fear of heights. What a convenient way to find that out.

We enter into the darkness, and the air becomes frigid to the point that my breath is showing. It's also really dark. I mean, what else would I think would be in here? A tropical islands or something?

I'm getting off topic at this point. What really catches my attention is all of the voices I hear surrounding me. They all sound different, but at the same time, all so similar. It's like this giant orb of darkness is just where everyone's repressed thoughts and emotions go.

I can't even make complete sense of any of the words being said. It's all just jumbled sounds, with a negative ring to them. Each voice sounds depressed and hurt, like they're crying out to be freed… Like how my friends' respective Heartless acted. Just listening to all of this makes my head spin.

But even in all of this darkness, Izanagi's Keyblade remains bright. In fact, it's our only source of light in here. I can't explain why, but I feel like it's making sure I don't go insane from all of this malice. Most of all, the light it emits has this warm feeling to it. It's constantly reminding me of my friends, and their voices are reaching me and saying not to give in.

As the two of us go deeper and deeper, I sense something within the center of the dark mass. It's not dark and ominous like the surrounding darkness, but it doesn't feel like a warm light either. I just feel the need to head towards it. Not like I have much choice anyways, as I have no sense of direction in here. I don't know if I'm going up or down, left or right, I'm just… Drifting through the darkness.

Once Izanagi and I reach the epicenter of what I've been sensing, the only thing there is a tall and slightly open white door. Izanagi and I float onto solid ground in front of it. It's a light grey, and doesn't look like anything I've seen in my world.

_Unlocked_

_Darkness_

_Heartless_

More voices start entering my head, but this time I can tell what the words are. The voice is all too familiar, as it sounds like mine. Could it be that Izanagi is talking to me?

_Keyblade_

_Light_

_Lock_

As the six words constantly repeat in my head, Izanagi raises his Keyblade towards the door, my arms and hand move along with his. It doesn't feel forced, though. It's almost as if I can feel the Keyblade in my hands, and _I'm_ the one guiding Izanagi.

We point the Keyblade at the top of the door, where a keyhole is carved into its frame. Once it and the Keyblade line up, the outline of the Keyhole lights up. Stars circle around the tip of the Keyblade, and a beam of light shoots out of it. Once it hits the Keyhole, light comes from behind the doors as they begin to close.

The door closes with a loud thud, and everything turns to white.

* * *

****December 6, 2015  
Time of Day: Noon  
Weather: Sunny  
Place: Destiny Islands- Beach****

I wake up to sand in my mouth, and my friends all on the ground. They look as groggy and confused as I feel. Over by my right, Terra is under the bodies of Donald and Roxas. At least this way he can't escape.

"Is everyone alive?" I garble. Everyone responds with either a tired "yeah" or a groan. "Good… Now what the heck happened?"

"The dark thingy exploded and you fell out of it," Roxas says. "We caught you, and then a bunch of light happened, and now we're back on the Islands…" He looks around for a quick second. "At least it looks like it."

"Yeah, we're back in your home," Donald says. "I don't sense any Heartless here… Actually, now that I think about it, when that orb of darkness went kablooey, I didn't sense any Heartless either."

Yuffie's eyes widen. "So that means…"

"We did it?" Namine asks. All of us start laughing. I feel like we'd all cheer, but our bodies probably hurt too much.

"I forgot how bright the sun was after all of that fog," Riku says.

"That's all you have to say?" Kairi asks. "We just caught the culprit, and you're complaining about the sun?" Riku shrugs.

I take my phone out of my pocket. Luckily, it's not too beat up, but there are a couple cracks from all of the fighting we did. I go to my contacts, and I call Zack.

His phone starts ringing. "_Sora? Where the hell have you guys been?! It's been an entire day!" _Seriously? I didn't think we were fighting for so long.

"We're at the beach… And we have Terra."

"_You caught him?" _Zack remains silent for a couple seconds. "_Tell me where you are. I'll have someone dispatch a cop car."_

* * *

****December 25, 2015  
Time of Day: Night  
Weather: Clear Skies  
Place: Dojima Residence****

"When are we going to open the presents?" Usagi asks. "There's so many, and there are a ton here for me!"

After stopping her from bouncing around the living room so much, I pat her head. "Don't worry we'll get to that soon enough." Usagi was let out of the hospital last night. Everyone came to see her, and luckily she was back to her regular self. Today she's even more hyper since it's Christmas, and there's a boatload of presents under the tree in our living room. Most of them are get well gifts for Usagi, heck even my parents sent her some.

Zack and I even got something from them. I'm hoping it's not one of my mom's homemade sweaters, mainly because she sucks at making them and they make you sweat more than a dog in heat.

My friends and I decided that we'd just draw names from a hat and buy a present or two for the person that we drew. I ended up getting Roxas, so I bought him some skateboard maintenance equipment because he said his stuff was getting old. I also volunteered to get Donald a present since he was the odd man out. I ended up getting him a pointy wizard hat like the one on his wand.

I don't know who got my name, but whoever it was seemed to have forgotten to get me my present, because I'm not seeing anything labeled "To Sora" on it anywhere.

Zack pulls me away into our small hallway. "Listen, I think I owe you a big thank you. I don't know how you figured it out, but Terra confessed to the first two murders."

"It took him this long to admit to it?" I ask. "You'd think after being captured he would've come clean."

"He was sure one hell of a tough nut to crack!" Zack chuckles. "There are still some vague areas in his statement, but at this point I have no doubt he's going to be reprimanded accordingly."

"That's good to hear."

"Regardless… This was one weird case, even by my standards." Zack has mentioned he's worked on some odd cases beforehand. Trying to explain would just be confusing. "If that whole Mirror World is legit, then everything would actually come together. But don't think for a second that I'm buying into that story."

I smile and shrug. "I didn't expect you to anytime soon. Trust me, a year ago I would have the same thought process as you."

"You've done a lot to help me out, haven't you? To think I was supposed to be the one watching over you." Zack sighs. "Well, Spring is just around the corner now that it's December. I'll be glad to have you around up until then."

I grin. "And I'll be glad to have you guys around as well."

"Hey you two, let's open some presents!" Riku calls.

"Yeah, yeah we're coming," Zack and I say together. I plop onto the couch next to Kairi, and in front of Donald. He's already shaking his gift box near his ear, trying to determine what it is.

"Sorry bro, I made sure it's shake proof," I tell him.

"Aww, no fair…" he whines. "How am I supposed to enjoy guessing what it is if I can't narrow my ideas?"

Yuffie tuts. "It's wrapped up for a reason, Donald. It's how Christmas works."

"To be honest, I've never had a Christmas like this before," Xion says.

"Oh really?" Namine asks. "What do you normally?"

"Well, I'd usually visit my grandfather and just read some old stories with him, like Sherlock Holmes and Arsene Lupin." Xion sighs. "I called him saying that I wouldn't be there with him this year, and he said it was fine, but I can't help but feel guilty for leaving him alo- Oh excuse me." Xion takes out her phone. As she scrolls through it, her face becomes confused and flushed.

"What is it?" Kairi asks. "Something the matter?"

"It's my grandfather. Apparently he decided to go on a holiday to Hollow Bastion."

"That doesn't sound too bad," I say.

"That's not what's perplexing to me," she says. "I'm just wondering why the housemaid is with him, and why she looks so… _Casual _with him."

Everyone in the room remains silent. "So, are we going to open the presents or what?" Zack asks, breaking the awkward tension.

Everyone quickly responds happily, and grabs their respective presents. We let Usagi open all of hers first. She got different stuff animals, dolls, and other little girl things. Yuffie and the other girls even worked together and bought Usagi a nice dress with a bunny on it. She was ecstatic about all of her gifts, and thanked everyone over and over again.

Now it was time for the rest of us to open our presents. Zack and I opened the presents from my parents first, and to our dismay, they were sweaters. We both agreed that they got lost in the shipping process.

Next up were everyone else and their Secret Santa gifts. Yuffie got a homemade headband with floral patterns from Riku, and Xion bought high quality art tools for Namine. I gave Roxas the skateboard tool kit, and Donald his custom hat. Namine actually drew an extremely detailed sketch of Kairi, and even framed it. Kairi bought a gift card for Riku to his favorite craft store in the neighboring city just a train ride away.

She knew it wasn't the most creative, but her excuse was that she couldn't think of what to get him at the store, so instead she just put a shit ton of cash into the card and would let Riku go nuts. He certainly didn't turn it down, because when he saw the amount of munny on the card, he did a spit take.

And now, I'm left with no present in my hand. If everything went as planned, Yuffie should've got me my present. "Hey Yuffie, where's my gift?"

She does a fake gasp. "Oh? You figured out that _I_, the Great Ninja Yuffie bought a present for you?" Yuffie's been calling herself that since putting on the headband. "Well, do I have something in store for you!" From the bag she brought with her, she takes out a small stick with something attached to the end of it. She extends the stick, and points the end of it above my head. I look up and… Oh shit.

"H-Hey Yuf, is that mistletoe?" Kairi asks, blushing. Yuffie just giggles in response, and gives me a thumbs up.

Well, way to put the pressure on a guy, Yuffie! Why do people do stuff like this? I don't get it. Do you really think this is giving me a confidence booster? I'm totally on the spot now!

Damn, now Kairi is all red in the face. Come on, aren't you supposed to be the confident one or something?

"I'm waiiittinnnng," Yuffie sings.

Resisting the urge to hit her, I take a deep breath and sigh. Do I have any gum on me? Nope. Shit. Fuck, fuck, and fuck. My breath probably smells like ass. Armpits getting sweaty, hands getting moist, not good, not good!

"Sora!" she demands. "Could you get on with it?"

Sweaty palms, moist hands, bad breath, not good, not good!

She rolls her eyes and snatches my face and pulls me in, forcing my lips onto hers. Not so comfortable at first, but we settle into it.

Ahhh, this… this is nice.

She pulls back with a tint of blush, though she smiles slightly.

"A-Hyuk…"

And to make this moment even more awkward with a polarizing force of brutality, everybody around us stares with sly expressions. I rub the back of my head.

"Hey, Sora…" Kai ri says.

"Yes, Kairi?" I feel like I'm in a trance right now.

"Your breath… really stinks."

And there goes any dignity I could ever hope for, down the drain.

"But, it was still kinda good for me. Kinda."

"Cool."

"Yeah."

"Cool."

"Guys, this is painful," Riku intervenes. "Shouldn't you two go somewhere private?"

"Um, y-yeah, sure." I grab Kairi by the hand and drag her outside on the really, really small porch. As long as I can get away from those nosy fuckers. I sigh. "Remind me to like, kill Yuffie after Christmas."

She laughs. "Sure." She rubs her arm. "So... does this mean we're like, together, right?"

I smile. "I think it'd be weird not to at this point."

"Oh, so it's just because it'll be weird?"

"N-No, that's not what I meant, I-I, uh... Kairi, I'm new to this stuff. You gotta work with me here."

She rolls her eyes, but retains a smile. "Fine, fine. Just come here, won't you?"

I smirk. "Really? Even with my terribly smelly breath?"

"It's not _that _bad," she teases. "But for real, did you brush your teeth this morning?"

"Oh, shut up!" I pull her in and plant another one on her.

We pull back and she rests her forehead on mine.

"Sora?"

"Hm?"

"When did you start liking me back?"

"Definitely around the time when you start liking me?"

"Probably sometime around the summer," I admit. "I don't know, I just really like how you aren't like how I expected a celebrity to be. For the most part. You still have your moments, but…"

"Keep that snarky attitude up and I'm breaking up with you." She smirks.

"Your turn to reciprocate the answer."

She sighs. "Do I have to?" I give her a look. "Fiiine. This is going to be a struggle, isn't it with you?"

"Out with it!"

"Okay, okay. I guess, you were the first one to really treat me like a human being. You know what I mean? It's tough when all the people surrounding you constantly are jerks who either wanna to mooch off you or stab in the back. But you seemed to just, for the most part, see me for me. I really admire that about you." She cocks her head to the side and smiles. "So, why do you like me again? Because I'm pretty or something?"

"You're pretty?" I tease.

She slaps me against the shoulder playfully.

But of course, we're interrupted with an obnoxious _ahem _from Yuffie. She leans by the doorway with a snide look. Can't this woman get out of my personal life for once?

Yuffie rubs her hands together. "I see my master plan has finally reached its end goal!"

Kairi and I stare at each other with confused looks, then back to Yuffie. "What plan?" I ask.

"I _mayyy_ have started planning it back in July when you first came to me about Kairi, but the plan was finalized around the time summer vacation started."

"You've been planning this," Kairi points at the two of us, "For 5 months? Wait... summer vacation is when I visited you about Sora!"

Kairi talked to Yuffie about me? "What exactly did you decide to do in this plan of yours?"

Yuffie flashes a sly grin. "Oh, I did several things that may or may not have included rigging the festival raffle to make Roxas win the trip to Radiant Garden and spiking our drinks at the bar we went to."

"You did that?!" we both yell.

"Yeah, an old friend of mine Tifa runs the place. I owe her big time for almost ruining the club's reputation by serving alcohol to minors, but in the end it was worth it. I thought you'd drunk make out, but you sleeping on Sora's lap without pants on surely makes up for it."

"Hey, we said we'd never bring that up ever again!" Kairi runs through the front door. "Guys! Yuffie broke the bloodpact!"

I hear assorted gasps coming from inside my house. "You mean _the_ pact?!" Roxas yells.

"Okay, what in the world are you talking about a bloodpact for?" Zack asks, clearly confused.

Just to clear it up, we all promised that we'd never talk about the second night in Radiant Garden ever again. We just call it a bloodpact because hungover Namine got a papercut on the piece of paper we signed our names on.

"The punishment is death!" Kairi yells. My friends inside grab whatever they can, and start chasing after Yuffie. I join in too, carrying a random Struggle bat I found on the ground.

As we chase after the master ninja, I realize two things: One, when the fuck did Yuffie get so agile, and two, is this what it feels like to be normal? Like, I feel like everything is finally over and we can live normal lives. Terra, the culprit behind the murders, is behind bars, and according to Donald, the Heartless disappeared when I locked that giant door.

What was that door anyway? The Keyblade had a very odd reaction to it… Ugh, whatever. I'm sure that's just the thing that caused all of the Heartless to appear. If anything, closing it was the best idea.

But enough about that. Now that everything is normal, I have exactly three months before I have to leave and go back to Traverse Town. I better make this the best three months of my life!

* * *

***Starts screaming* Oh my god, I finally updated this story! Jesus, how long has it been? Two months since I uploaded the last chapter? My work ethic has gone down the fucking drain. I remember when I first started I got chapters out almost weekly.**

**Anyway, enough about that. So much gaming news has come out recently! Persona 5, Pokemon Sun and Moon, Final Fantasy 15, and so much more! (I honestly could care less about FF15 though…) My wallet can't handle all of these games. Speaking of which, I've completed all three routes of Fire Emblem Fates! **

**Now that I'm done with that I might be able to focus a bit more on the story. But then again, I have three other projects at school and school ends in two or three weeks, so I gotta get my shit together.**

**Anyway, I'm done ranting. Just know, next chapter is the final one. Yes, all things must come to an end, like this story. I plan to get it out before the end of June. I WANT to get it out before the end of June.**

**Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the chapter, and see you later!**


	25. Friends in My Heart

**Chapter 25: Friends in My Heart**

**March 20, 2016  
Time of Day: Afternoon  
Weather: Sunny  
Place: Dojima Residence**

"Aaaaand, done!" Yuffie caps the marker in her hand. "The going away party sign is now officially done!" The long sheet of paper in front of her reads, "The Legend of Sora Narukami, Fighter of the Ultimate Fist of Fury!"

"Like we're ever going to hang this wacky thing up!" Roxas says. "What is this, one of your cheeky vintage Kung Fu flicks? Just put something normal, not that stuff!"

Yuffie sticks her tongue out.

"Roxas, you're letting the title of Assistant Party Planner get to your head again," Kairi tuts. "To cool off, how about you and Donald prep more of the balloon?" Roxas groans and heads into the corner of the room where Donald is messing with a helium canister.

Why'd we put him on that job to begin with?

"Quite a group you have here," Zack chuckles as he walks through the front door. "Usagi and I could hear you from outside."

"Sorry about that, sir!" Kairi apologizes.

"Sure, you guys go have a good time." Zack set down his groceries, and heads upstairs into his room.

"Hey Yuffie, can you come over here and taste this quick?" Namine asks, holding a small spoon with a… _Questionable_ liquid in it.

Yuffie swallows what's in the spoon, and makes a sour face. "Y'know, this is tasting too bland. How 'bout we put some of this!" Yuffie grabs from the grocery bags a bottle of Ghost Pepper Sriracha.

Why did we put Namine and Yuffie on that job?

"Hey, should I come over there and help?" I attempt to get out of my chair, but Kairi pulls me back into my seat

"Noo, this party is supposed to be for you. Just sit back, relax, and talk to me!" Kairi taps my nose.

"Hey, aren't you the person who's planning all of this?" Riku asks. "Why do you get to be lazy while everyone else does all the grunt work?" Ironically, he says this as he looks proudly at a colorful paper chain he hung onto the wall.

"These are impressive, Riku," Xion complements.

Riku smiles. "Thank you! It wasn't really too hard though."

To be honest, I feel like Riku decorating my house isn't actually grunt work to him.

"Hey Sora, do you want to try what Yuffie and I have been making?" Namine asks. She walks up to me with a bowl of mysterious red liquid. It smells like Mama June after hot yoga, and looks like red puke.

In other words, I'm staring right into hell. If there's anything I'm not going to miss about the Islands, it's Yuffie and Namine's cooking.

"Are you kidding me?" Roxas gets up from blowing up balloons. "There's no way I'm letting you feed that to him! What are you, trying to kill him before he leaves?"

Yuffie grits her teeth. "Fine then, you eat it!" Yuffie rams a spoon of the mystery food deep into Roxas' mouth. He Roxas yells out, tears streaming from his eyes. He runs into the kitchen, and puts his mouth directly under the faucet.

I chuckle. "Okay, if there's one thing I'm definitely going to miss, it's Yuffie torturing Roxas."

"Speaking of which, it's hard to imagine you leaving," Riku says.

"Aww, I'm going to miss you so much…" Donald says as a balloon deflates in his hands. Everyone lets out a sigh, including me. It really is hard to imagine me leaving. After spending so much time around these people, it feels like I've known them my entire life, rather than just a year.

"Hey big bro!" Usagi hands me an envelope. "This came for you in the mail. Anyway, Daddy and I forgot to buy something back at the store, so I'll be back!"

I stick the envelope in my back pocket. "How about I come with you? That way we can spend more time together? And plus, I kinda want to walk around here a bit more just to remember as much as I can."

Usagi's face brightens. "Sure!"

* * *

****Place: Destiny Islands - Streets****

I'm seriously going to miss this place so much.

All of the things I've gotten used to over this year, like the constant smell of the sea, sand somehow always getting into your shoes, and even way the sun always feels like it's trying to burn you to a crisp, even though it's only like 70 degrees outside.

Then there's all of the places and paths I've memorized, like the residential district, the seaside road, and the Moogle Co. To be honest, you'd probably find the store in any other place around the country, but this one will always be special to me because I've had my best memories there. Especially the time we drew all over Roxas' face while discussing the motives of a psychopathic killer.

Ahh… Good times, great times.

It's like I said before, it feels like I've been here for my entire life. When I first came here, I thought my life would continue as it did before, boring and depressing. But now, the world just seems more colorful around my friends and family.

"Hey Big Bro, you're going to come back here during your vacation times, right?" Usagi asks.

"Of course! Anytime I'm able to, I'll definitely come back here whenever I can. Especially during Winter, Spring, and Summer break!"

"Goodie! Then it won't seem so bad!"

"Exactly!" I sigh. "I'd really like to stay here forever, though. But I can't, because your auntie and uncle will miss me."

Usagi looks up to me and hold up her pinky. "Promise you won't forget about me?"

"Promise me, I won't ever forget." I wrap my pinky around hers, and shake it.

* * *

****March 20, 2016  
Time of Day: Afternoon  
Weather: Sunny  
Place: Dojima Residence****

Okay, what? I look around, and I'm back in my house. Wasn't I just in the street with Usagi?

"Hey Sora, do you want to try what Yuffie and I have been making?" Namine asks. She walks up to me with a bowl of mysterious red liquid… Again.

But how and- Why the- Since when-

"Geez, look at what you did to the guy!" Roxas says. "He's so disgusted by your food, he can't even think straight!"

Yuffie grits her teeth. "Fine then, you eat it!" Yuffie rams a spoon of the mystery food deep into Roxas' mouth. He Roxas yells out, tears streaming from his eyes. He runs into the kitchen, and puts his mouth directly under the faucet.

Again.

"Hey big bro!" Usagi hands me an envelope. "This came for you in the mail. Anyway, Daddy and I forgot to buy something back at the store, so I'll be back!"

"Thanks…" I look at the letter, and it's from… Terra. "Hey Usagi, do you mind going to your room for a second? We all need to talk about some older kid things."

"Umm, okay!" Usagi runs up the stairs. I wait for the sound of a door closing to open the letter.

"Hey, is something wrong?" Kairi asks.

"Yeah, your face is deadly serious," Roxas says.

"I don't know, but let me read what's in this first," I tell everyone.

* * *

_I imagine you're a little surprised to be getting this letter. I'm writing because I have something to tell you. It's true that my game is definitely over. Now don't get excited, I still hate the world and nothing is stopping me from doing so._

_Speaking of this world, there's been something that's bothering me about the other one._

_I can't stop thinking about how all of this started. The Midnight Reflection… I used to think that I heard about it back at the station. But now I believe someone else may have originally told me about it. I read the same thing back in Eraqus' report that struck me as odd. Why is it that either of us can't recall who was the person who gave us the powers?_

_Since both Eraqus and I gained our powers after coming to Destiny Islands, I figured there may be more to this. I know this isn't very much, but I know (sadly) that you're the only people who will know what to do with this information. Maybe you could make something out of it._

* * *

"Sincerely, Terra. P.S. Prison sucks, screw you guys." I sigh. "He really wants us to find the source of that crazy rumor?"

"It is an interesting question," Xion says. "One I'm surprised we never bothered to look into."

"What about you?" Donald asks. "Couldn't you use your Persona from the moment you got here? As well as go into my world through a mirror here?"

"Yeah, I could."

"So in that respect, it seems that you're just like Terra and Eraqus," Xion says. "You told me that you never had to face you Heartless at one point, correct?" I nod.

"There has to be something past what we're seeing," Roxas says. "The Midnight Reflection and the power to enter mirrors. If those two weren't related, then how would they line up like this?"

"Hey, maybe the first person who told Terra about the Midnight Reflection is the same person who gave Eraqus and Sora the power to enter the Mirror World!" Yuffie says.

"Hmm… Maybe, just maybe," Xion says. "If one person were to be responsible for both… Hey Sora, do you have any idea who this person could be? Think about when you first had the power to enter mirrors. If we figure that out, then we could possibly link that to the person who first started the rumors.

"I'm not sure about how it entirely came to be," I tell her. "I do remember having a really strange dream the night I came into town. I couldn't tell if any of it were real, or not."

"Do you think it was the dream that did it?" Riku asks.

"I don't know." I shrug. "Unless…"

"What? Did something cause the dream?" Riku asks.

"Let me think… When I first got here, I went straight to my uncle's house… No wait, that's not true!"

* * *

****March 20, 2016  
Time of Day: Afternoon  
Weather: Sunny  
Place: Dojima Residence****

And here we are again. Honestly, I'm fucking sick and tired of smelling Yuffie's food, even if it's only been the third time. But let me be real, three times is too many times.

"Hey big bro!" Usagi hands me an envelope. "This came for you-"

I grab my cousin by the shoulders. "Usagi on the first day I came to the Islands, did we stop somewhere before coming to the house? Please, I need you to think! Really hard!" She nods her head in response.

"Hey Sora, what has you so spazzed out?" Kairi asks.

"We stopped somewhere, but I can't remember! Please, you have to remember!"

Usagi's face is full of confusion and slight fear. "The gas station, I think. We talked to the person working there. And after that, you felt sick, remember?"

I move Usagi to the side, and run out the front door. I can hear my friends voices behind me, but they don't follow.

* * *

****Time of Day: ?  
Weather: Foggy  
Place: Destiny Islands - Streets****

I navigate through foggy streets, using only a faint gut feeling. As I run farther and farther, my head hurts more and more, which is normally a sign of me becoming closer and closer. By the time I get to the gas station, my vision is blurry and I can't walk straight. My legs buckle, and I fall onto my knees.

"Something wrong?" a voice says behind me. "You shouldn't be outside if you're not feeling well."

I look behind me, and the same gas station attendant is there. I try to look at his face, but my vision is so unfocused I can't make out any facial features. The fog is so think, I might as well only be looking a a silhouette.

"Tell me… Who are you?!"

"What? That's a pretty strange question to ask."

"Tell me who you really are!"

The gas station attendant starts laughing. "I never expected you to make it this far. You wielded your power so well, I should've seen it coming."

"You did… _This_ to us! You gave these powers to Erauqs and Terra, didn't you?" My head aches even more, but this time flashbacks of me race through my mind. It was back when I gave this guy a handshake.

"So you're finally remembering now, huh?" he asks. "Just a few strangers was all it took in order to stimulate a small place like this. But apparently, that spark was much bigger than I intended it to be. It was enough to bury the entire town in fog something I didn't expect. And then _you_ had to clear it away."

"No more games… Who are you?" I ask.

The fog forms a small cyclone around the gas station attendant. When it disappears, a dark skinned man with long silver hair. "_I am Ansem. I should commend you for locking that door in the other world, for that let me unleash my true power."_

"What?!"

"_Ah yes… That was a seal indeed, and you unlocked it. It is why I can take this form here, not just in my Kingdom Hearts."_

"Kingdom Hearts? What the hell is that?"

"_Why, it's a place you're all too familiar with, your "Mirror World" and the collective darkness of all humans."_

"So you really are the person who created that world, and spread the rumors about the Midnight Reflection?"

"_Why yes! I also gave you the powers to enter that realm. But that is all I did."_

"What do you mean?"

"_I was merely an observer of that power. I was curious what type of world humans yearned for. It was your individual will that determined what you would see in a mirror. There was nothing else at play."_

"_Who ever was shown was someone the collective community had desired to see more of. There were those who were trying to hide aspects of who they truly are, and those who wanted nothing else but to see what they were hiding. Some wanted to be seen, some just wanted to see. So I created a window to link the two worlds._

"And that window is the Midnight Reflection?" I ask.

"_Now you get it. All I did was give you humans exactly what you wanted to see. It was the curious nature of humans that drove everything. It's a reflection of their own heart's desires. Human beings are such a curious species. The truth seems to always be the last they want to learn or hear about. They only wish to see and believe what they want"_

The pain in my head becomes stronger, and my vision darker. "I-I won't ever believe in such crap! Living in ignorance is never the answer! It doesn't bring happiness!"

"_Are you really in a position to be telling me this?"_

What? What does he… mean… No…

Flashes of my friends unconscious on the ground flash before my eyes.

Please god, no!

The gas station is starting to fade away, and darkness is consuming everything.

* * *

****Time of Day: ?  
Weather: Foggy  
Place: Kingdom Hearts****

"NOOOOOOO!" Yuffie yells. "SOMEONE HELP ME!"

I look around me, and all of my friends are sinking into pools of darkness. Tendrils reach from them, grabbing their arms and pulling them in further.

"_This is the unpleasant truth of your reality," _Ansem's voice echos. Above us, a gargantuan version of him towers over us.

I extend my hand, and my arcana appear before me. No way am I giving up without a fight! Izanagi appears in a blue light, and rushes after the dark entity. It barrage of slashes are reflected by magic, and Izanagi is knocked backwards.

"_Is that the best you can do?" _Ansem asks. "_This is certainly a disappointment."_

A high pitched scream comes from my left, and I see Xion being dragged into the darkness. Next to her, Donald is struggling to get out, but is suffering the same fate. I try to run to them, but my feet are stuck in a pool of darkness.

"_This is the voice of the whole human race! They're saying it's happy in the darkness, where they see only what they choose. You're disrupting their peace and tranquility."_

Before I know it, my head and arms are the only things above the ground. Right before my head sinks in, Roxas grabs my arm and pulls me out!

"Hey bro, you okay?" He asks.

"I'm fine, but-" I'm cut off by multiple tentacles grabbing Roxas and pulling him into the ground. He yells out as I try to pull him out. "C'mon man, you have to fight it!"

"I'm sorry Sora, but… It's too strong!" Roxas' head sinks into the darkness, and his hand suddenly feels cold as it follows him.

"ROXAS, NO!"

More screams come from another direction. "YUFFIE, HELP ME!" Namine calls out, right before her voice is silenced.

"SORA, SAVE ME!" Kairi's scream echos.

I grab my head and try to block out the noise. 'Please stop! I don't want to see this anymore!" As the last of my friends sink into the ground, tear run down my face.

"_Now do you understand?" _Ansem asks. "_All that awaits if you seek the truth is anguish and agony. Wouldn't you rather spend you life in a world fashioned by your own desires? Wouldn't that be greater happiness?"_

I start laughing. Would it be good?

* * *

****mARCh 20, 2016  
tIMe of dAY: aFTERnOOn  
WEAThEr: FOgGy  
pLacE: DojImA REsIdENce****

How many times have I gone through this? I think… I lost count…

"Hey guys… We'll be friends foreeeeever, right?"

"Duh, man! Of course we will!" Roxas tells me again.

"Why even ask the question?" Yuffie asks again.

Kairi hugs me, again. "But of course, only one of us will ever be as close as we are, right?"

"Totally…"

* * *

**maRcH 20, 2016  
****TiME Of DAy: afterNOon  
****wEAThER: foGGy  
****PLAcE: doJiMA REsIdEnCE**

"Hey Sora, do you want to try what Yuffie and I have been making?" Namine asks. She walks up to me with a bowl of pretty red liquid… Again.

"Are you kidding me?" Roxas asks again. "Don't feed that-" I take the spoon in Yuffie hand, and ram the food into his mouth, again. Roxas Runs into the kitchen, putting his mouth under the faucet, again.

We all start to laugh. Again.

* * *

**MARcH 20, 2016  
****Time oF day: aftErNoon  
****WEaTher: FogGy  
****plAcE: doJiMA rEsiDENce**

Yuffie and Namine are cooking in the kitchen again. Yuffie is humming happily while stirring and Namine is adding watermelon to the pot, again.

"We should put thiiiis!" I take some Jello packs, and hand them to Namine, again.

"Hmm, I'm so sure about that!" Yuffie says again.

I open the jello and dump it into the pot again. "It'll be fine… perfectly fine."

"Forgive me for this."

* * *

****Time of Day: ?  
Weather: ?  
Place: ?****

A slap travels across my face. I look around, and I'm not in my house anymore. Under my feet is a large stained glass circle with a design of a sleeping version me on it. My friends also appear in the glass, albeit only in small circles. In front of me is Margaret, but she suddenly fades away, and I'm face to face with…

A copy of me.

Darkness overtakes the copy, and I'm sent flying to the edge of the platform we're on. I look down, and it's nothing but an endless expanse of darkness. In front of me, my copy turns into a large Heartless. It's completely black, and has dark tentacles wrapped around its head, and only its two yellow eyes are a source of color. In its chest is a heart shaped hole.

"_I am a Heartless, the true inner self!"_ it cries out. "_I am the darkness that resides in your sequestered heart! The shallow darkness that wishes for lies and false pretenses!"_ Energy forms in the heart shaped hole in its chest, and a large orb launches out of it.

Right before it comes into contact with me, a blue light shines below. In front of me appears a woman, clothed in completely white. White Queen? But I don't remember summoning-

"_Big bro!" _Usagi's voice rings. "_You'll be okay, won't you? I know you'll come back!"_ White Queen summons an uncountable amount of chess pieces, and blocks the large orb of energy.

"Usagi?"

The Persona in front of me disappears, and a Samurai in silver armor appears in its place. "_You really had my back, Sora," _Hayner's voice says. "_Now, I got yours!" _Samurai, readies its swords and charges into the legs of my Heartless. Using one precise strike, it's able to cut both of its legs, making the Heartless fall onto its knees.

"_If I were to be honest, I'm surprised you decided to even be friends with me,"_ Selphie's voice echos. "_I pushed my problems onto to you, but you still decided to help me, even if you were only my fake boyfriend."_ Samurai disappears, and a Hydra takes its place. It screams out a mighty roar, and thunder strikes the Heartless in front of us. In retaliation, it slams its fist into the ground, summoning smaller Heartless to attack us.

"_We may have only known each other for a short time, but I have to thank you,_" Seifer's voice says. "_If you go down here, you'll be nothing but the chicken wuss I called you before." _In blue light, Hades takes the place of the Hydra. He launches multiple balls of fire at the ground near the Heartless, exploding on contact and destroying the surrounding Heartless.

"_Even after having to move around so much," _my dad's voice echoes. "_Even though you were never able to make friends and live a normal life, you still didn't hate us."_

"_We love you, Sora,"_ my mom's voice rings. "_And I feel so wonderful knowing that there are other people around you that feel the same."_ A pillar of flames erupts in front of me. Out of it flies Sephiroth, brandishing his large katana. He enters an attack stance, and in the blink of an eye, lands multiple hits on the large Heartless.

My Heartless raises its hands, and a mass of dark energy the size of the platform appears. In front of me, Jabberwocky replaces Sephiroth.

"_You helped me in more ways than one, haven't you?_" Zack's voice asks. "_I was supposed to be the one taking care of you, but you took care of me and Usagi. Maybe that's how we were able to pull it off in the end. It's how we were truly able to become a family."_ Jabberwocky spreads its wings, and absorbs the attack. A dark aura veils the dragon, points itself at the Heartless, and flies directly into it.

At impact, a large explosion occurs, one that nearly sent me flying off the edge of the platform. Once the smoke and dark fumes fade away, in the center of the floor is my Heartless, back in human form.

"_I… I was afraid of a future without my friends. Afraid of leaving. Afraid of leaving everyone behind and moving forward on my own. I don't want to be alone again!" _Tears stream down his eyes. "_I've been alone, and I won't go back!"_

"Yeah… It was so depressing, not being around anyone," I tell him.

"_I wanted to stay with everyone forever. I didn't care if it was an illusion created by the darkness and fog. Life without a connection to people is miserable! It's not the life I want! I just need them next to me… No matter what the cost!"_

Tears run down my face as well. "I really had no need for what was real, didn't I? As long as I had them, I didn't care if it was an illusion. It didn't matter… I know this, because you're me, right?"

My Heartless nods its head. "_We are… I am, no longer alone."_ It's engulfed by a warm blue light, so blinding that the void of darkness around us seems to be replaced with an endless expanse of light. When it fades away, Izanagi takes his place, standing proudly with Keyblade in hand.

When Izanagi fades away into light, Margaret appears in behind him. "Even if you were to lose everything, you will never again feel as if you were abandoned." She extends her hand, and I give it a firm shake. "Do yourself a favor, and do not ever forget that.

As she takes away her hand, she leaves an item in mine. In my hand, she leaves a small crystal heart. It's colored blue, and I feel a mysterious and powerful aura from it.

"This is a crystal of the power you have nurtured and sustained through this long odyssey," Igor's voice echos. "This orb dispels lies and false pretenses as it illuminates the truth with its powerful light."

"Thank you," I tell them. As Margaret fades away, I raise the crystal to the sky. A powerful light shines from it, and engulfs the entire platform.

* * *

****Time of Day: ?  
Weather: Foggy  
Place: Kingdom Hearts****

When the light disappears, I'm back to where I was before the illusion, right in front of Ansem. He's gargantuan in size, and dark tentacles are wrapped around his body. His eyes are completely yellow, and on his chest is a Heartless symbol.

"_Hmm? How interesting. Why have you come back?"_

"So is what I'm seeing now your true form?"

"_That changes nothing. The collective will of humanity will pull you into the abyss, over and over again." _Dark hands extend from the ground, but they don't latch onto me. "_Oh? What is this? How is this possible? The will of one human cannot turn the whole of the masses."_

Ansem extends his hands, and dark orbs appear around me. I summon Izanagi, and he uses reflect magic to block the attack. We both attempt to walk forward as more orbs attack us in barrages.

"_Why do you keep moving forward? You will be happier with the illusion. Embrace the darkness and you can imagine a world to your own design."_

"What makes me happy… is not your decision to make!"

"_Your friends no longer exist in this world. Is it your wish to live an eternal life of solitude?"_

"You're wrong! I am far from alone!"

"_Human beings do not have the potential fight the darkness, only succumb to it. Stop fighting and learn to embrace it."_

"I think it's about time to show you, what true potential is!" Izanagi fades away. I extend my hand, and a large magic circle of white light appears below me. In my hand appears the World Arcana engulfed in a blue flame. I shatter it, and an even larger version of Izanagi appears.

His black clothing is now completely white. His armor, previously different colors, is now completely colored gold. He's floating in the air, and two wisps of light. In his hand isn't the original Keyblade, but is a more powerful version. It's made up of two crossed Keyblades, and has one large and golden blade extruding from between the two original blades.

Izanagi's red eyes flash through its dark visor, and raises its weapon. With only two slashes, the tentacles on Ansem's body are severed.

"_Impossible!"_

"Anyone can overpower the darkness. As long as people open their eyes and look around they'll see it. They'll see the truth!" I point at Ansem, and Izanagi does the same with his Keyblade. Light gathers at the tip of the blade, forming an orb. "There will alway be darkness, but people just need to embrace the truth to dispel it! Kingdom Hearts isn't the collective darkness of human being! Kingdom Hearts is light!"

A powerful beam of light comes from the Keyblade, aiming directly at Ansem's chest. He then starts to fade away into darkness, his body slowly crumbling away. "_Heh. If that is what you wish…" _Ansem says. "_In doing this, you have cleared the fog in this world and yours. I shall observe on high, now. We'll see whether or not this path of your does lead to happiness."_

"Fine, see for yourself how we humans don't wish for despair and darkness."

"_Child of light… You have done an interesting job…"_ With his finals words, Ansem fades away completely. Behind him is the same door that Izanagi and I locked back in December.

My hands have the same feeling of holding the Keyblade in them from three months ago. I lift my arms, and Izanagi points the Keyblade at the door. Time to lock this for real.

A beam of light extends to the top of the door, where a keyhole rests. When the light hits it, the door itself fades away, into a flawless light...

* * *

****Time of Day: ?  
Weather: Sunny  
Place: The Velvet Room****

When the light fades away, I'm met with a smiling Margaret and Igor. Outside of the limousine's windows, isn't an endless expanse of fog, but rather grassy hills and a bright blue sky.

Igor chuckles. "Magnificent, isn't it? For someone of your age, I must admit that you have had a truly inspiring and meaningful journey."

"Now that all the fog is clear, there is nothing left to lead you astray," Margaret tells me. "Please, follow your heart down your own path."

"It saddens me to tell you this, but I'm afraid that this is the last time we will be invite you here to speak like this," Igor says. "For at long last, the contract has been fulfilled. My job is now done. You were truly a superb guest."

"Now it is time for you to leave this place," Margaret continues. "Time for you to go back and see what you have accomplished. Behold how wondrous the world you have fought so hard for is to become."

I smile back at them. "Thank you."

A door on the side of the Velvet Room opens, letting in a powerful light.

* * *

****March 22, 2016  
Time of Day: Afternoon  
Weather: Sunny  
Place: Destiny Islands Train Station ****

Before I walk onto the empty train, I turn back and see all of my friends smiling at me.

"We'll really miss you," Roxas says.

"If you ever need a bro, I got your back!" Yuffie grins.

"I hope you'll do well back in Traverse Town," Namine says.

"Let's meet with each other again in the future, okay?" Xion asks.

"Come back and see us, we'll be waiting for you!" Riku smiles.

Kairi kisses me on the cheek. "We're going to make this long distance relationship work, okay?"

Donald sniffs. "I can't wait to see you again."

"We'll all going to miss you," Zack tells me.

"S-See you later, big bro." Usagi hugs me. "Bye bye."

"Alright… I guess that this is it. Good bye for now!" I head into the train, and the door close behind me. As the train starts to move, my friends start to follow it.

"I'm so glad I met you!" Donald yells.

"Thank you for all that you've done!" Riku says.

"You'll always be our friend no matter where you are!" Namine follows.

"Whatever you do, please don't forget about any of us!" Xion says.

"Love you so much Sora!" Kairi says. "I really, really do!"

"I'll do my best to make sure you don't have to run away from anything ever again!" Yuffie yells.

"Distance doesn't matter!" Roxas yells. "No matter where you go, we'll always be bros!"

My friends continue to follow the train until the end of the platform. They say so many more things, but I'm too far away to make out any of them.

"I-I'll never forget any of you either!" I say out loud. "None of you… Ever!"

* * *

****March 29, 2016  
Time of Day: Morning  
Weather: Sunny  
Place: Narukami Residence****

I yawn. "Morning, Mom. Morning, Dad… Mom, why are you cooking?"

"Well, I thought that maybe I should start cooking again!" she says. "Trust me, my bacon will turn out great this time around!"

I look towards my dad. His face is telling me, _I tried to stop her._

"Anyways, any mail for me?" I ask my dad. "Uncle Zack said he'd send the picture he took of us once he had the time to get it developed."

"As a matter of fact, you did." Dad hands me an envelope. "Psst. Take your time reading it. I'll try to make sure your mom doesn't burn down the house."

"Yeah, sure..." I walk out of the kitchen and tear open the envelope. Inside is the photo my friends and I took in front of Zack's house. But it's not alone. Inside is a piece of paper.

_Thinking of you, wherever you are._

_We pray for our sorrows to end, and hope that our hearts will blend._

_Now I will step forward to realize this wish._

_And who knows:_

_starting a new journey may not be so hard,_

_or maybe it has already begun._

_Our hearts are linked to the people we trust,_

_And that trust gives us the strength to find our true selves_

_There are many worlds, but they share the same sky_

_None of us will ever be alone._

_One sky, one destiny_

* * *

****And so with that, Persona Hearts has ended! ****

This story took nearly two years to write. That's quite the commitment, especially for someone like me! I'm a horrible procrastinator, so doing something like this is a great milestone.

Damn, I remember when I first started my story. I changed the name of my story not once, but twice! I feel like I may have lost a couple readers because of that. For those of you who haven't been here since the beginning, the story's first name was, _Persona 4 Kingdom Hearts_. Now that I think about it, it was a crappy and lackluster name. The second name, which came from Palette, was _Paralleled Between Reflections._ Slightly catchier, but it didn't convey the fact that this was a Persona story using KH characters. Then the second and final change was to _Persona Hearts_! It's simple, it's clean (lol), and it shows that this takes elements from Persona and Kingdom Hearts. I'm surprised it wasn't the name I originally used

You can blame it on my shit planning skills. I even wrote most of my first couple chapters on a whim. And don't get me started on the Summer Vacation Arc! The fact that I didn't plan ahead, made it so hard for me to think of ideas! It was the first time I'd ever experience Writer's Block, so I had to learn the hard way about not planning ahead.

I don't know whether or not I'll continue to post stuff on this site. I have some ideas, who knows if I'm ever going to take them into effect. Only time will tell, I guess.

Anyway, I'd like to thank everyone who followed my story, who put the story on their favorite stories list, and for people that actually reviewed this story!

Even if you didn't do any of those three, I'm still happy you took the time to read it. And if you did any of these three after reading this final chapter, you have my thanks as well! I hope you all enjoyed my story and my evolution as a writer.

Last, but not least, I want to thank my beta reader and editor, _Painted With a Palette._ She's my mentor and my BFF on this site, and she's taught me so much. I probably wouldn't be here if it wasn't for her. If you don't know who she is, check her profile out! You'll love her stories even more than this one. (Seriously)

**Tl;dr **Thank you for reading Persona Hearts. I hope you enjoyed reading as much as I did writing it!

_**\- The Fool's Arcana**_


End file.
